因噎废食
yīn yē fèi shí
to give up something useful because of a small risk
Character by character
因yīn
because of
because of
噎yē
choking
choking
废fèi
give up
give up
食shí
food
food
Example
网上有骗子，就不让老人用手机支付，这不是因噎废食吗？
Stopping old people from paying by phone because there are scammers online: isn’t that giving up eating for fear of choking?
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
Criticises an overreaction; often with 不能 or 未免. The image goes back to the 吕氏春秋 (3rd century BC).
Learn this in Lesson 61 · HSK 6: 预制菜之争 (The ready-meal debate)
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