📖 Meaning
Literally meaning food does not fill the intestines, this idiom describes a state of extreme hunger and poverty where one cannot get enough to eat. It conveys the hardship of living without adequate sustenance, often used to depict impoverished conditions or famine.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the more common expression 食不充饥, sharing the same meaning of food being insufficient to satisfy hunger. The phrase uses the intestines (肠) as a metaphor for the stomach and digestive system, emphasizing the emptiness felt during starvation. It appears in classical Chinese literature to describe the suffering of common people during times of war, famine, or poverty. No single definitive source text is recorded for this specific variant.
💡 Example Usage
那年灾荒严重，百姓食不充肠，苦不堪言。
That year the famine was severe, and the common people could not get enough to eat, suffering beyond words.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 食不充肠
- Pinyin: shí bù chōng cháng
- Literal Translation: eat, not, fill, intestines
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4