画饼充饥

wàng méi zhǐ kě huà bǐng chōng jī

望梅止渴，画饼充饥

quench one's thirst by imagining plums and allay one's hunger by drawing pancakes

zhè lèi gǎi gé kě néng zhǐ shì huà bǐng chōng jī bà le

这类改革可能只是画饼充饥罢了。

Such reforms seem likely to remain little more than pious hopes.

tā jīn bù zhù xiǎng suǒ yǒu zhè xiē bù guò shì huà bǐng chōng jī de kōng huà ér yǐ

他禁不住想所有这些不过是“画饼充饥”的空话而已。

He can't help thinking it's all just "pie in the sky" talk.