不食人间烟火

不食人間煙火
bùshírénjiānyānhuǒ
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 not to eat the food of mortals
  2. 2 otherworldly
  3. 3 detached from ordinary life

Examples

HSK 7-9
Tā kànshàngqù qīngxiù tuōsú, xiàng shì bùshírénjiānyānhuǒ.
She looks delicate and ethereal, like she's not of this world.
HSK 7-9
Bié xiě de bùshírénjiānyānhuǒ, dúzhě yào de shì zhēnshígǎn.
Don't write as if detached from reality; readers want something grounded.

Tips

culture
Literally 'does not eat mortal fire-cooked food', a description originally applied to Daoist immortals who sustained themselves on dew and qi. Now used both admiringly (pure, ethereal) and critically (out of touch).
register
Can be a compliment (saintly, pure) or a mild jab (naive, disconnected from real life). Tone depends on context.

Stroke Order

shí
rén
jiān
yān
huǒ