何不食肉糜 hé bù shí ròu mí

out of touch with poor people’s hunger

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. (of people from higher class etc) to be oblivious to other people's plight
  2. 2. lit. "Why don't they eat meat?" (said by Emperor Hui of Jin 晋惠帝jìn huì dì when told that his people didn't have enough rice to eat)

Characters

Character Meaning
何 hé HSK 4
what; how; why
不 bù HSK 1
not; no; (negative prefix)
食 shí HSK 5
to eat; food; animal feed
肉 ròu HSK 2
meat; flesh; pulp (of a fruit)
糜 mí
to waste (money); rice gruel; rotten