Literal meaning

draw (画) — flatbread (饼) — satisfy (充) — hunger (饥)

Origin

Records of the Three Kingdoms (《三国志·卢毓传》). When the Wei emperor Cao Rui asked his minister Lu Yu about appointing officials based on reputation, Lu Yu answered: 名如画地作饼，不可啖也 — "Reputation is like a flatbread drawn on the ground; you can't eat it." Reputation without substance doesn't feed anyone. The image was vivid enough to stick. The phrase has been used since for any kind of self-deception that swaps a real solution for a comforting picture of one.

Examples

Usage & nuances

Critical — used to dismiss empty promises, unrealistic plans, or self-soothing fantasies. Often paired with 望梅止渴 ("looking at plums to quench thirst"), which captures the same idea from another angle.