📖 Meaning
Refers to the finest, most exquisite food and beautiful embroidered clothing, symbolizing a life of luxury and extravagance. The idiom describes someone who enjoys the most opulent material comforts and a lavish lifestyle.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Book of Wei (魏书), an official history compiled during the Northern Qi dynasty, in the biography of Chang Jing (常景), who wrote that one with brocade clothing and jade-like delicacies can properly nourish his body. The phrasing was later popularized in Ming-dynasty literature, notably in Xie Dang's play Four Joys (四喜记), where it depicts the privileged casually enjoying such grandeur. Over time the two elements were sometimes reordered, giving rise to the variant form seen here.
💡 Example Usage
他出身豪门，自幼玉食锦衣，从不知民间疾苦。
Born into a wealthy family, he enjoyed jade-like delicacies and brocade clothing from childhood, never knowing the hardships of common people.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 玉食锦衣
- Pinyin: yù shí jǐn yī
- Literal Translation: jade food, brocade clothing
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4