- 看菜吃饭 kàncàichīfàn adaptto act according to actual circumstances or available resources
- 分灶吃饭 fēnzàochīfàn fiscal decentralizationliterally 'meals prepared at separate stoves', a slogan for the program of fiscal decentralization that began in the 1980s in the PRC
- 吃饭皇帝大 chīfànhuángdìdà eating comes firstEating is of the highest importance; nothing is more important than mealtimes (idiom from Taiwan).
- 看菜吃饭，量体裁衣 kàncàichīfàn, liàngtǐcáiyī adapt actionsTo act according to actual circumstances or resources; to tailor one's approach based on practical reality rather than following a fixed template.