因噎廢食 yīn yē fèi shí

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. not eating for fear of choking (idiom); fig. to cut off one's nose to spite one's face
  2. to avoid sth essential because of a slight risk

CHARACTERS

因 yīn
HSK 2
cause, reason; by; because (of)
噎 yē choke; hiccup
廢 fèi abrogate, terminate, discard
食 shí
HSK 5
eat; meal; food; KangXi radical number 184