饥 不 择 食

jī bù zé shídictionary entry

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.

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-07584ee5e23d6cf1. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

飢不擇食 饥不择食 [ji1 bu4 ze2 shi2] /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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Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

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Other forms in these source records: 飢不擇食

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.