因噎廢食 yīn yē fèi shí

to avoid sth essential because of a slight risk

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

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

Characters

Character Meaning
因 yīn HSK 2
because; reason; cause
噎 yē
to choke (on); to choke up; to suffocate
廢 fèi
to abolish; to abandon; to discard
食 shí HSK 5
to eat; food; animal feed