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

Tā kàn shàngqù qīngxiù tuōsú, xiàng shì bùshírénjiānyānhuǒ.
She looks delicate and ethereal, like she's not of this world.
Bié xiě de bùshírénjiānyānhuǒ, dúzhě yào de shì zhēnshí gǎn.
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