靠天吃饭

靠天吃飯

kàotiān-chīfàn

idiom

Meanings

1 to depend on the weather for one's livelihood
2 to live at the mercy of nature
3 subsistence farming dependent on the elements

Characters

to rely on; to lean on

sky; heaven; weather

Examples

HSK 6

现代农业技术让我们不再完全靠天吃饭。

Xiàndài nóngyè jìshù ràng wǒmen búzài wánquán kàotiān-chīfàn.

Modern agricultural technology means we no longer depend entirely on the weather for our food.

HSK 7-9

过去农民靠天吃饭，收成好坏完全看老天爷。

Guòqù nóngmín kàotiān-chīfàn, shōuchéng hǎohuài wánquán kàn lǎotiānyé.

In the past farmers lived at the mercy of the weather; the harvest depended entirely on the heavens.

Tips

culture

Core phrase in discussions of rural China and pre-industrial agriculture. Rural modernization, irrigation, and greenhouses are often framed as 'no longer 靠天吃饭'. Can extend metaphorically to any risky, uncontrolled livelihood (fishing, tourism, street vending).

memory

靠 (rely on) + 天 (sky/heaven) + 吃饭 (eat) - literally 'eat by leaning on the sky'. A vivid picture of a farmer looking up, praying for rain to feed his family.

Stroke Order

靠 kào

天 tiān

吃 chī

饭 fàn