粗茶淡饭

粗茶淡飯
cūchádànfàn
idiom #89,533

Meanings

  1. 1 plain tea and simple food
  2. 2 a frugal diet
  3. 3 simple fare

Examples

Tā yīshēng cū chá dàn fàn, cóng bù jiǎngjiu.
He lived on simple food all his life, never fussy.
Cū chá dàn fàn de shēnghuó ràng rén jiànkāng.
A simple diet keeps a person healthy.
Wǒmen jiā zhāodài bù zhōu, zhǐshì cū chá dàn fàn.
Our hospitality is modest — just simple fare.

Tips

history
From Huang Tingjian's Song-dynasty 《》: 粗茶淡饭 ('plain tea and simple food — once full, stop'). Part of a recipe for a contented life: eat simply, wear warmly, don't covet, don't envy.
culture
Often invoked positively — linked to the Confucian/Daoist virtue of contentment with little (知足). Not poverty so much as voluntary simplicity.

Stroke Order

chá
dàn
fàn