One year during the Spring and Autumn Period (- BC), there was a the Qi State was severely strickend by a famine.

Qian Ao, a very rich but arrogant man took the occasion to showcase his generosity through preparing food by the roadside and giving it to the passing refugees in charity.

A man with shabby clothes happened to walk by with his shoes trailing along, he was so hungry as not to open his eyes.

Seeing the poor man, Qian Ao held the food by left hand and the drink by right hand, and shouted at him, "Hi, come to eat!"

Hearing the word, the man glared his eyes and said, "It is because I am not willing to eat the food handed out in contempt that I have been famished to such a degree."

Though Qian Ao made an apology to him for that, the man still resolutely refused to eat the food and thus he died of hunger in the end.

This set phrase now extensively denotes the disrespectful aims. This story means that a person who has a strong sense of self-respect would rather die of hunger than be despised.

春秋時代，有一年齊國發生大饑荒。

有一位叫做黔敖有錢貴族，在街邊準備食物分發給來往的難民，以顯示自己的慷慨。

有一個饑民，用衣袖蒙著臉，拖著鞋，餓得眼睛都睜不開的樣子，慢慢地走過來。

黔敖見了，就左手拿著吃的，右手捧著喝的，向他喊道：“喂，來吃吧!”

那人一聽這話，立即瞪著眼睛，說道：“我就是因為不吃‘嗟來之食，才餓到這般地步的。"

盡管黔敖向他道歉，那人仍然堅決不吃，終于餓死了。

此故事講的是一個懷有強烈自尊心的人，寧可餓死也不肯接受人輕視。現在這個成語泛指帶有侮辱性的施舍。

One year during the Spring and Autumn Period (- BC), there was a the Qi State was severely strickend by a famine.

Qian Ao, a very rich but arrogant man took the occasion to showcase his generosity through preparing food by the roadside and giving it to the passing refugees in charity.

A man with shabby clothes happened to walk by with his shoes trailing along, he was so hungry as not to open his eyes.

Seeing the poor man, Qian Ao held the food by left hand and the drink by right hand, and shouted at him, "Hi, come to eat!"

Hearing the word, the man glared his eyes and said, "It is because I am not willing to eat the food handed out in contempt that I have been famished to such a degree."

Though Qian Ao made an apology to him for that, the man still resolutely refused to eat the food and thus he died of hunger in the end.

This set phrase now extensively denotes the disrespectful aims. This story means that a person who has a strong sense of self-respect would rather die of hunger than be despised.

春秋時代，有一年齊國發生大饑荒。

有一位叫做黔敖有錢貴族，在街邊準備食物分發給來往的難民，以顯示自己的慷慨。

有一個饑民，用衣袖蒙著臉，拖著鞋，餓得眼睛都睜不開的樣子，慢慢地走過來。

黔敖見了，就左手拿著吃的，右手捧著喝的，向他喊道：“喂，來吃吧!”

那人一聽這話，立即瞪著眼睛，說道：“我就是因為不吃‘嗟來之食，才餓到這般地步的。"

盡管黔敖向他道歉，那人仍然堅決不吃，終于餓死了。

此故事講的是一個懷有強烈自尊心的人，寧可餓死也不肯接受人輕視。現在這個成語泛指帶有侮辱性的施舍。