HSK 3 Reading

画饼

Drawing a Pancake

In China, “drawing a pancake” doesn’t mean painting a picture — it means making promises you may not keep. Your boss says, “Work hard, and you’ll get a big bonus!” Your friend says, “Next time, I’ll treat you to a big meal!” This article explores this very common Chinese expression, why it’s funny, and how to tell when someone is really just drawing you a pancake.

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你听说过“画饼”吗？这不是真的画一个饼，而是一个有意思的比喻。“画饼”是指别人给你说一些好听的话，但这些话可能不会实现。比如，老板说：“大家好好工作，明年给你们加薪！” 但是，到了明年，老板好像忘了自己说过的话。这就是“画饼”。 ➕

Nǐ tīngshuō guo “huà bǐng” ma? Zhè bú shì zhēnde huà yí ge bǐng, ér shì yí ge yǒuyìsi de bǐyù. “Huà bǐng” shì zhǐ biéren gěi nǐ shuō yì xiē hǎotīng de huà, dàn zhèxiē huà kěnéng bú huì shíxiàn. Bǐrú, lǎobǎn shuō: “Dàjiā hǎohao gōngzuò, míngnián gěi nǐmen jiā xīn!” Dànshì, dào le míngnián, lǎobǎn hǎoxiàng wàng le zìjǐ shuō guo de huà. Zhè jiù shì “huà bǐng”.

Have you heard of “drawing a pancake”? It’s not actually painting a pancake — it’s an interesting metaphor. “Drawing a pancake” means others say some nice-sounding things to you, but these things may not come true. For example, the boss says: “Everyone, work hard, and next year I’ll give you a raise!” But when next year comes, the boss seems to have forgotten what he said. That is “drawing a pancake.”

“画饼”这个词常常出现在工作和生活中。朋友说：“下次我请你吃饭！”但是下次总是不知道什么时候。父母说：“如果你考了一百分，我就给你买礼物！”可是，考了一百分以后，他们又说了别的。这些都是“画饼”。人们说这些话的时候，可能并不是真的想骗人，只是为了让别人开心，或者让别人更努力。 ➕

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当然，总是“画饼”会让人失望。如果老板经常说加薪，但从来不做，员工就会觉得自己被骗了。如果朋友总是说请客，但从来不请，朋友之间的关系就会变得不好。所以，画饼偶尔可以让人开心，但不能太多。最好的办法是，说到做到。 ➕

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那，怎么知道别人是真的想对你好，还是在“画饼”呢？其实，可以看这个人过去做过什么。如果他过去常常“画饼”，那你最好不要太相信他的话。但是，如果他过去说到做到，那他的话就更值得相信。时间会告诉我们答案。 ➕

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Quiz

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Take a quick quiz to see if you grasped the main ideas.

画饼

1 / 5

在中文里，“画饼”是什么意思？

真的画一个饼

请朋友吃饭

说一些好听但可能不会实现的话

2 / 5

老板说“明年加薪”但没有实现，这是什么？

画饼

说到做到

一个礼物

3 / 5

人们为什么喜欢“画饼”？

因为他们想骗人

因为他们不喜欢别人

因为他们想让别人开心或更努力

4 / 5

如果一个人总是“画饼”，我们应该怎么做？

完全相信他的话

不要太相信他的话

再也不理他

5 / 5

文章说最好的办法是什么？

经常画饼

说到做到

从不承诺任何事情

Your score is

The average score is 93%

画饼