DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
飢不擇食
简 饥不择食 · 繁 飢不擇食Mandarin · pinyin jī bù zé shí
Meanings
- when hungry, you can't pick what you eat (idiom); beggars can't be choosers
- When matters are urgent, don't spend time choosing alternatives.
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Mandarin tones
1–4–2–2 · ji1 bu4 ze2 shi2
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
gei1 bat1 zaak6 sik6
Cantonese word readings for 飢不擇食. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
gei1 bat1 zaak6 sik6
Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (figurative) to be not choosy when one is hungry or when matters are urgent; beggars can't be choosers
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack