食不厌精，脍不厌细 in English shi2 bu4 yan4 jing1 , kuai4 bu4 yan4 xi4 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) to eat but finely ground grain and finely chopped meat (idiomatic expression, from Analects)
  • metaphorically to be fastidious about one's food

Simplified Characters

食 不 厌 精 ， 脍 不 厌 细

Traditional Characters

食 不 厭 精 ， 膾 不 厭 細

Pinyin

shi2 bu4 yan4 jing1 , kuai4 bu4 yan4 xi4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

食shi2to eat 不bu4(negative prefix) 厌yan4to loathe 精jing1essence ， 脍kuai4chopped meat or fish 不bu4(negative prefix) 厌yan4to loathe 细xi4thin or slender