【英文原文】

In the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), the king of the Wei, Cao Rui, wanted to select a very capable man to work for him. He said to his ministers: 'When choosing a talented person, always beware of one with a false reputation. A false reputation is just like a picture of a cake; it can' t relieve hunger.'

Later, this idiom came to be used to mean comforting oneself with unrealistic thoughts, without solving practical problems.

【中文譯文】

三國時代魏國的皇帝曹睿，準備選拔一個有才能的人到朝廷來做官。曹睿對他的大臣說：“選擇人才，不能光找有虛名的人。虛名好像是在地上畫的一塊餅，只能看，不能解決肚子饑餓的問題啊！”

后來人們就用“畫餅充饑”這個成語比喻用空想安慰自己，不能解決實際問題。