One year during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), there was a the Qi State was severely strickend by a famine.

Qian Ao, a very rich but arrogant man took the occasion to showcase his generosity through preparing food by the roadside and giving it to the passing refugees in charity.

A man with shabby clothes happened to walk by with his shoes trailing along, he was so hungry as not to open his eyes.

Seeing the poor man, Qian Ao held the food by left hand and the drink by right hand, and shouted at him, "Hi, come to eat!"

Hearing the word, the man glared his eyes and said, "It is because I am not willing to eat the food handed out in contempt that I have been famished to such a degree."

Though Qian Ao made an apology to him for that, the man still resolutely refused to eat the food and thus he died of hunger in the end.

This set phrase now extensively denotes the disrespectful aims. This story means that a person who has a strong sense of self-respect would rather die of hunger than be despised.

春秋时代，有一年齐国发生大饥荒。

有一位叫做黔敖有钱贵族，在街边准备食物分发给来往的难民，以显示自己的慷慨。

有一个饥民，用衣袖蒙着脸，拖着鞋，饿得眼睛都睁不开的样子，慢慢地走过来。

黔敖见了，就左手拿着吃的，右手捧着喝的，向他喊道：“喂，来吃吧！”

那人一听这话，立即瞪着眼睛，说道：“我就是因为不吃‘嗟来之食’，才饿到这般地步的。"

尽管黔敖向他道歉，那人仍然坚决不吃，终于饿死了。

此故事讲的是一个怀有强烈自尊心的人，宁可饿死也不肯接受人轻视。现在这个成语泛指带有侮辱性的施舍。