During the Three Kingdoms period, Lu Yu, a Wei official and youngest son of the famed Han minister Lu Zhi, was orphaned at ten and lost both elder brothers soon after. Despite the chaos of war, he diligently studied, achieving exceptional knowledge while supporting his widowed sister-in-law and nephew. His virtue and learning earned widespread praise.
Lu Yu later became an official known for his integrity, earning the court's respect and promotion to imperial advisor, serving closely beside the emperor and frequently entering and leaving the palace. After three years of notable achievements, Emperor Cao Rui of Wei trusted him deeply, promoting him to palace secretary to handle confidential affairs and government decrees, and eventually to minister of personnel, overseeing all official appointments, promotions, and transfers nationwide.
During the Han Dynasty, officials were selected through the "Recommendation System," where local governments sent virtuous candidates—called "Filial and Incorrupt"—to the court. These candidates were often famous figures, but their actual character and family background were rarely scrutinized. Many of them valued idle chatter over practical work, flattering each other while lacking true virtue.
Lu Yu opposed such people becoming officials. When selecting and recommending talent, he always prioritized moral character before ability. Asked why, he explained, "The court needs talent to accomplish good deeds. Great talent should achieve great good, and small talent should achieve small good. If someone has ability but cannot do good, then that ability is not what the court requires."
After Lu Yu was promoted to Minister of Personnel, the position of Imperial Secretary he had vacated needed filling. Emperor Wen of Wei told him, "Whether we find the right person for this post depends entirely on you. When selecting talent, never choose those with only fame but no real ability—fame is like a cake drawn on the ground; it cannot satisfy hunger."
Lu Yu replied, "To select truly exceptional talent, one certainly cannot rely solely on reputation. However, reputation does reflect a certain reality. Using reputation to choose ordinary officials is still acceptable. If someone is famous for their moral cultivation and virtuous conduct, we should not dismiss them. Therefore, Your Majesty should not dislike someone just because they have a name. I believe the key is to assess them thoroughly to see if they possess genuine ability. Relying entirely on reputation for promotion or demotion will inevitably blur the line between truth and falsehood."
Emperor Wen of Wei heeded Lu Yu's advice and decreed the creation of a performance evaluation law.
The idiom "drawing a cake to satisfy hunger" is derived from this story. Later generations use it to describe something that is merely nominal and cannot solve real problems, or to console oneself with empty fantasies.
Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, "Biography of Lu Yu"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "画饼充饥" came to describe how something is merely nominal and cannot solve real problems, or to console oneself with empty fantasies.