小饼如嚼月

小餅如嚼月
xiǎo bǐng rú jué yuè
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 the little cake is like chewing the moon
  2. 2 an evocative description of eating a mooncake (origin of the 'mooncake' association)

Examples

HSK 7-9
Zhōngqiū chī yuèbǐng, cái tǐhuì dào xiǎobǐngrújuéyuè nàzhǒng shīyì.
Eating mooncakes at Mid-Autumn, you grasp the poetry of 'a little cake like chewing the moon.'
HSK 7-9
Bāozhuāng shàng yìn zhe xiǎobǐngrújuéyuè, hěn yǒu gǔyì.
The packaging is printed with 'little cake like chewing the moon' - very classical.

Tips

history
From 苏轼 Su Shi (Northern Song) 《留别廉守》: 小饼如嚼月,中有酥与饴 - 'the little cake is like chewing the moon; inside are butter and syrup.' An early literary reference to what became the Mid-Autumn mooncake.
usage
has two readings: jiáo (everyday 'chew') and jué (literary 'chew, ponder'). In classical verse jué is preferred; jiáo is also acceptable in modern recitation. The line usually evokes 月饼 without saying it.

Stroke Order

xiǎo
bǐng
jiáo
yuè