📖 Meaning
A metaphor for handling affairs according to specific circumstances. Just as one eats based on what dishes are served, one should adapt one's approach to the actual situation at hand. It emphasizes practicality and flexibility over rigid uniformity.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase comes from Mao Zedong's 1942 essay 'Oppose Stereotyped Party Writing' (反对党八股), where he wrote '看菜吃饭，量体裁衣' — eat according to the dishes, tailor clothes to the body. Mao used this folk saying to argue that writing and speaking, like all work, should be adapted to the audience and concrete conditions rather than handled by formula. The expression draws on everyday rural wisdom, likening the sensible act of eating according to what food is available to the broader principle of acting in light of real circumstances.
💡 Example Usage
做计划要讲究实际，看菜吃饭才能把事情办好。
When making plans, be practical; only by adapting to the actual circumstances can you get things done well.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 看菜吃饭
- Pinyin: kàn cài chī fàn
- Literal Translation: look at dishes, eat rice
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4