民以食为天 mín yǐ shí wéi tiān

food is people’s first need

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 64183rd word

Definitions

  1. 1. Food is the God of the people. (idiom); People view food as the primary need.
  2. 2. Food first, ethical niceties second

Characters

Character Meaning
民 mín HSK 4
the people; citizen; nationality
以 yǐ HSK 2
to use; by means of; according to
食 shí HSK 5
to eat; food; animal feed
为 wéi HSK 2
for; because of; to
天 tiān HSK 1
day; sky; heaven