📖 Meaning
Refers to beautiful clothes and exquisite, jade-like food, describing a life of luxury and extravagance. The idiom evokes the image of someone draped in fine garments and dining on the most delicately prepared delicacies.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a classical Chinese compound pairing '靡衣' (fine, sumptuous clothing) with '玉食' (food as precious as jade), following the traditional literary convention of using jade as a metaphor for things of supreme quality. It describes the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by the wealthy and powerful throughout Chinese imperial history. The phrase reflects the cultural emphasis on distinguishing social status through material consumption.
💡 Example Usage
他出身富贵，从小过惯了靡衣玉食的生活。
Born into wealth, he has been accustomed to a life of fine clothes and exquisite food since childhood.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 靡衣玉食
- Pinyin: mí yī yù shí
- Literal Translation: luxurious, clothing, jade, food
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4