人是鐵飯是鋼 rén shì tiě fàn shì gāng

one can't function properly on an empty stomach (idiom)

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. one can't function properly on an empty stomach (idiom)
  2. 2. an empty sack cannot stand upright

Characters

Character Meaning
person; people; man
to be; is; are
iron (metal); hard; strong
meal; cooked rice; devotee
to be; is; are
steel