<p>Here's the prargraph from the book:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Food comes first for the people,” says an ancient Chinese proverb, and foodie culture has blossomed in China as hedonism has grown less stigmatized. The average Chinese citizen spent more money on food in 2015 than at any time in the past, and food TV shows such as A Bite of China have soaring ratings. Nearly two-thirds of Chinese mobile-phone users consistently photograph their food before eating, then share these photos through food-oriented apps and social media; fluency in food culture is deemed a mark of sophistication. The China Cuisine Association has asked UNESCO to place the country’s cuisine on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Demand for premium and organic foods keeps increasing. Recent research has found that people who eat spicy food all the time live substantially longer; though the exact causality is unclear, the study has been warmly received. Torrents of fabulous new restaurants have opened for wealthy Chinese and Westerners; in Shanghai alone, five recently made the list of Asia’s Best Restaurants.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Obviously referring to this <strong>real</strong> proverb:</p>
<p><strong>民以食为天</strong></p>
<p>It is a very well-known, common proverb or idiom; <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22%E6%B0%91%E4%BB%A5%E9%A3%9F%E4%B8%BA%E5%A4%A9%22&amp;client=firefox-b-ab&amp;source=lnt&amp;tbs=li:1&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjVzYabp8LYAhXHTbwKHfIiBmgQpwUIIQ&amp;biw=1280&amp;bih=676" rel="nofollow noreferrer">verbatim search on Google</a>, alone, gives:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>1,120,000 results</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and <a href="https://www.baidu.com/s?wd=%E6%B0%91%E4%BB%A5%E9%A3%9F%E4%B8%BA%E5%A4%A9&amp;rsv_spt=1&amp;rsv_iqid=0x91192f51000040db&amp;issp=1&amp;f=8&amp;rsv_bp=0&amp;rsv_idx=2&amp;ie=utf-8&amp;tn=baiduhome_pg&amp;rsv_enter=1&amp;rsv_sug3=1&amp;rsv_sug2=0&amp;inputT=535&amp;rsv_sug4=535" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Baidu</a> gives:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>12,000,000 results</p>
</blockquote>
<p>ABC defines it as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The masses regard food as their prime want.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and <a href="https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&amp;wdrst=1&amp;wdqb=%E6%B0%91%E4%BB%A5%E9%A3%9F%E4%B8%BA%E5%A4%A9" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CC-CEDICT</a> defines it as:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Food is the God of the people. (idiom); People view food as the primary need.</p>
<p>Food first, ethical niceties second</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p>There's a whole question about it over here:</p>
<p><a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/629/4136">What does 民以食为天 mean?</a></p>
<p>@Huang's answer is also a good source for more information:</p>
<p><a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/630/4136">https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/630/4136</a></p>
<hr />
<p>ABC Proverbs also has the following:</p>
<p><strong>国以民为本；民以食为天。</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Lit  A country depends on [its] people as [its] base, [just as] the people depend on food [to survive].</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<p>Other examples of this usage:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.english4tw.com/blog/post/85-hsinchu-city-god-temple-where-food-comes-first-for-the-people" rel="nofollow noreferrer">english4tw</a>'s artle:  Hsinchu City God Temple, where food comes first for the people/新竹城隍廟:民以食為天</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There is a saying in the Chinese-speaking community, &quot;Food comes first for the people&quot;;</p>
<p>華人社會常說，民以食為天;</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.labbrand.com/brandsource/china%E2%80%99s-digital-powered-foodie-revolution" rel="nofollow noreferrer">labbrand</a>'s article <em>China’s Digital Powered Foodie Revolution</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Through the best of times and the worst of times, food is always on the mind of Chinese people. As a famous Chinese proverb goes, “Food comes first for the people” (民以食为天). Today, Chinese people’s relationship to food and food products is changing. Every week new trends and behaviors emerge that present new challenges but also new opportunities for brands in the F&amp;B industry. In this article, we look at how digital channels have changed the way modern Chinese consumers purchase and use food products along with how food has become one of the most important elements of contemporary Chinese pop culture.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-06T03:47:57.617Z
I am not sure if you have got it right for "food comes first for the people". It sounds to me that if we get food, we should serve the people first. It is different from 民以食为天.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-06T03:53:18.313Z
It sounds more like 把人民的利益放在前面 or 人民的利益高于一切，something like that.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-06T04:20:03.873Z
@dan see edits...
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-06T04:43:43.927Z
Then this is a bad translation or bad usage in this context for 民以食为天.
dan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-06T06:27:08.493Z
If we stick on `Food comes first for the people`, then I think `仓廪实而知礼节，衣食足而知荣辱 ` is an alternative.
Tianjian Qin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-06T09:14:01.640Z
@dan I agree it's not a brilliant translation (how often are Chinese proverbs translated very well into English anyway?) but I think it is an okay translation, satisfactory in the very least - perhaps it's the semantics of English. If they were going to give it to the people first I believe that it would be most likely written: food is **given** first to the people. The use of **comes** here is showing that it is the peoples standards and not others'.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-06T11:53:20.613Z
"Food comes first for the people" is not a bad translation. Rephrase it as " For the people, food always comes first" clearly express the meaning of food security is the utmost important issue for the people
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-06T02:31:08.080Z
2018-01-06T09:15:41.457Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Mou某
<p>Let me put it in a shorter answer</p>
<p>&quot;Food comes first for the people&quot; can be rephrased as &quot; For the people, food always come first&quot; which express the meaning of &quot;<strong>food security is the utmost important issue for the people</strong>&quot;</p>
<p>&quot;民以食为天&quot; is the Chinese proverb that express this same meaning.</p>
<p>The literal meaning of  &quot;民以食为天&quot; is &quot;民(the people) 以 (take) 食(food) 为(as) 天(sky = highest authority). Which means it always comes first</p>
<blockquote>
<p>国以民为本 &quot;The foundation of a nation is its people&quot; (for a nation, the people always comes first)</p>
<p>民以食为天 &quot;For the people, food is the most importing issue in the world (for the people, food always comes first)</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-06T13:23:37.643Z
2018-01-08T16:19:00.383Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p>In the book <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Far-Away-Reporting-Brink-Change/dp/1476795045/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1515205400&amp;sr=8-1-fkmr0&amp;keywords=far%20and%20away%20Andrew%20Salomon" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Far and Away</a> page 369, the author (Andrew Salomon) cite a Chineese proverb</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Food comes first for the people</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I could not find trace of this proverb online but I don't speak Chineese and could not translate it.</p>

<ul>
<li>Is it a real proverb?</li>
<li>Is it used often?</li>
<li>What does the proverb mean?</li>
</ul>

<translation><proverb>
Is this a proverb: "Food comes first for the people"?
# Is this a proverb: "Food comes first for the people"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-01-06)

In the book [Far and Away](https://www.amazon.ca/Far-Away-Reporting-Brink-Change/dp/1476795045/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515205400&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=far%20and%20away%20Andrew%20Salomon) page 369, the author (Andrew Salomon) cite a Chineese proverb

> Food comes first for the people

I could not find trace of this proverb online but I don't speak Chineese and could not translate it.

* Is it a real proverb?
* Is it used often?
* What does the proverb mean?

**Tags:** translation, proverb


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-01-06. Score: 4

Here's the prargraph from the book:

> “Food comes first for the people,” says an ancient Chinese proverb, and foodie culture has blossomed in China as hedonism has grown less stigmatized. The average Chinese citizen spent more money on food in 2015 than at any time in the past, and food TV shows such as A Bite of China have soaring ratings. Nearly two-thirds of Chinese mobile-phone users consistently photograph their food before eating, then share these photos through food-oriented apps and social media; fluency in food culture is deemed a mark of sophistication. The China Cuisine Association has asked UNESCO to place the country’s cuisine on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Demand for premium and organic foods keeps increasing. Recent research has found that people who eat spicy food all the time live substantially longer; though the exact causality is unclear, the study has been warmly received. Torrents of fabulous new restaurants have opened for wealthy Chinese and Westerners; in Shanghai alone, five recently made the list of Asia’s Best Restaurants.

Obviously referring to this **real** proverb:

**民以食为天**

It is a very well-known, common proverb or idiom; [verbatim search on Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22%E6%B0%91%E4%BB%A5%E9%A3%9F%E4%B8%BA%E5%A4%A9%22&client=firefox-b-ab&source=lnt&tbs=li:1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjVzYabp8LYAhXHTbwKHfIiBmgQpwUIIQ&biw=1280&bih=676), alone, gives:

> 1,120,000 results

and [Baidu](https://www.baidu.com/s?wd=%E6%B0%91%E4%BB%A5%E9%A3%9F%E4%B8%BA%E5%A4%A9&rsv_spt=1&rsv_iqid=0x91192f51000040db&issp=1&f=8&rsv_bp=0&rsv_idx=2&ie=utf-8&tn=baiduhome_pg&rsv_enter=1&rsv_sug3=1&rsv_sug2=0&inputT=535&rsv_sug4=535) gives:

> 12,000,000 results

ABC defines it as:

> The masses regard food as their prime want.

and [CC-CEDICT](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdrst=1&wdqb=%E6%B0%91%E4%BB%A5%E9%A3%9F%E4%B8%BA%E5%A4%A9) defines it as:

> Food is the God of the people. (idiom); People view food as the primary need.
>
> Food first, ethical niceties second

---

There's a whole question about it over here:

[What does 民以食为天 mean?](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/q/629/4136)

@Huang's answer is also a good source for more information:

<https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/630/4136>

---

ABC Proverbs also has the following:

**国以民为本；民以食为天。**

> Lit A country depends on [its] people as [its] base, [just as] the people depend on food [to survive].

---

Other examples of this usage:

[english4tw](https://www.english4tw.com/blog/post/85-hsinchu-city-god-temple-where-food-comes-first-for-the-people)'s artle: Hsinchu City God Temple, where food comes first for the people/新竹城隍廟:民以食為天

> There is a saying in the Chinese-speaking community, "Food comes first for the people";
>
> 華人社會常說，民以食為天;

[labbrand](http://www.labbrand.com/brandsource/china%E2%80%99s-digital-powered-foodie-revolution)'s article *China’s Digital Powered Foodie Revolution*

> Through the best of times and the worst of times, food is always on the mind of Chinese people. As a famous Chinese proverb goes, “Food comes first for the people” (民以食为天). Today, Chinese people’s relationship to food and food products is changing. Every week new trends and behaviors emerge that present new challenges but also new opportunities for brands in the F&B industry. In this article, we look at how digital channels have changed the way modern Chinese consumers purchase and use food products along with how food has become one of the most important elements of contemporary Chinese pop culture.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I am not sure if you have got it right for "food comes first for the people". It sounds to me that if we get food, we should serve the people first. It is different from 民以食为天.  
> **username_2**: It sounds more like 把人民的利益放在前面 or 人民的利益高于一切，something like that.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 see edits...  
> **username_2**: Then this is a bad translation or bad usage in this context for 民以食为天.  
> **username_3**: If we stick on `Food comes first for the people`, then I think `仓廪实而知礼节，衣食足而知荣辱 ` is an alternative.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 I agree it's not a brilliant translation (how often are Chinese proverbs translated very well into English anyway?) but I think it is an okay translation, satisfactory in the very least - perhaps it's the semantics of English. If they were going to give it to the people first I believe that it would be most likely written: food is **given** first to the people. The use of **comes** here is showing that it is the peoples standards and not others'.  
> **username_4**: "Food comes first for the people" is not a bad translation. Rephrase it as " For the people, food always comes first" clearly express the meaning of food security is the utmost important issue for the people  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2018-01-06. Score: 1

Let me put it in a shorter answer

"Food comes first for the people" can be rephrased as " For the people, food always come first" which express the meaning of "**food security is the utmost important issue for the people**"

"民以食为天" is the Chinese proverb that express this same meaning.

The literal meaning of "民以食为天" is "民(the people) 以 (take) 食(food) 为(as) 天(sky = highest authority). Which means it always comes first

> 国以民为本 "The foundation of a nation is its people" (for a nation, the people always comes first)
>
> 民以食为天 "For the people, food is the most importing issue in the world (for the people, food always comes first)


---

