望梅止渴 (wàng méi zhǐ kě) | Meaning: lit. to quench one's thirst by thinking of plums (idiom) | Chinese Idiom with Pinyin & Origin

lit. to allay one's hunger using a picture of a cake · to feed on illusions (idiom)画饼充饥huà bǐng chōng jī

to console oneself · to masturbate · onanism · masturbation自慰zì wèi

futile徒劳tú láo

to find some consolation (idiom) · to find relief in聊以自慰liáo yǐ zì wèi

lit. to quench one's thirst by thinking of plums (idiom) · fig. to console oneself with illusions