man4 ji5 sik6 wai4 tin1民以食為天民以食为天
Jyutpingman4 ji5 sik6 wai4 tin1
Yalemàhn yíh sihk wàih tīn
Definition
Food is the first necessity of the people; eating is what matters most to people.
colloquialfooddaily actions
How it's used
This idiom is frequently invoked to justify prioritizing meals over other activities or to explain why food culture is so central to Hong Kong life. It carries a slightly philosophical yet practical tone, often used to defend the act of taking a break to eat regardless of how busy or stressful the situation is. It is a classic way to express that basic human needs must be met before anything else can be accomplished.
Examples
Food is the most important thing, go find something to eat if you are hungry.
You know food is the priority, how can you skip breakfast?
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
