画饼充饥
Huà bǐng chōng jī
Meaning:
This idiom is used metaphorically as a way of comforting oneself with his own imagination
A long time ago, there lived a smart and little 10-year-old boy. One day, he went out to the woods to play, and he was lost.
In the evening, the boy become very hungry, and misses the bread his mother's makes. But he can't find his way home, how is he suppose to eat the bread? So the smart and clever little boy found a branch and draw a huge bread on the floor, he even added sesame seeds on the bread. The little boy looked at the picture he drawn and started to imagine the delicious smell of bread. When the little boy felt less hungry, he continue to look for his way home through the narrow path. Soon, the little boy's parents found him; and the smart little boy went home, and enjoy his bread.
在很久很久以前，有个聪明的小男孩，他只有十岁。一天他一个人出去玩，结果他走进了一个森林里迷路了，他走了好久好久都找不到回家的路。
到傍晚的时候，小男孩很饿很饿了，他很想吃妈妈做的饼，可这时候他找不到回家的路，怎么能吃到妈妈做的饼呢？于是聪明的小男孩就用树枝在地上画了一个大大的饼，还在饼上点上芝麻。小男孩看着看着，好像就闻到了饼的香味，他想着自己平时吃到的香喷喷的饼，想着想着小男孩就觉得自己不是特别饿了，他又沿着一条小路走。很快小男孩的爸妈就找到了他，于是聪明的小男孩回了家，还吃到了真正香喷喷的饼。
"画饼充饥"的成语就是从这个故事中产生的。现在往往用来比喻用空想来作自我安慰，或者用来说明虚名是没有实际用处的。