食之无味，弃之可惜

Traditional form:

食之無味，棄之可惜

Pinyin (reading):

shízhīwúwèi,qìzhīkěxī

Definitions:

• lit. to be hardly worth eating, but it would still be a pity to discard it (idiom)
• fig. some things have little to no value, yet one is still reluctant to part with them

Characters:

• 食 - food; to eat
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 无 - no, not; lacking, -less
• 味 - taste; smell, odor; delicacy
• 弃 - to abandon, to discard, to reject; to desert; to forget
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 可 - may, can, -able; possibly
• 惜 - pity, regret; to rue; to begrudge

Traditional characters:

• 食 - food; to eat
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 無 - no, not; lacking, -less
• 味 - taste; smell, odor; delicacy
• 棄 - to abandon, to discard, to reject; to desert; to forget
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 可 - may, can, -able; possibly
• 惜 - pity, regret; to rue; to begrudge