The story of Cao Cao eating chicken ribs, which were tasteless and a pity to throw away:

In 219 AD, Cao Cao led his army to attack the Shu army. The troops were stationed at the boundary of Xiegu. Because Ma Chao's men and horses were blocking the front, they could not advance. They wanted to withdraw their troops, but they were afraid of being laughed at by the Shu soldiers. When Cao Cao was in a dilemma, general Xiahou Dun came in and asked for instructions: "What is the command tonight?" Cao Cao saw that there were chicken ribs in the chicken soup that the chef had just sent, so he casually replied: "Chicken ribs!"

The Marching Leader Bo Yangxiu, upon hearing the "useless" command, told the soldiers to pack up and prepare to go back. Xiahou Dun asked him: "Why are you packing?" Yang Xiu replied: "When I heard the command tonight, I knew that I was about to retreat.

It's worthless, tasteless to eat, and it's a pity to abandon it. We can't enter now. There is no use in winning and retreating, so I might as well return early so as not to panic temporarily." This is a historical allusion to Cao Cao's chicken ribs.

Sure enough, not long after, Cao Cao ordered his troops to retreat back to Yun. When he knew that Yang Xiu could accurately guess his intentions, he killed Yang Xiu on the charge of "creating rumors and disturbing the morale of the army." This is the story of Cao Cao eating chicken ribs.

Extended information:

The story of Cao Cao eating chicken ribs happened in the 72nd chapter of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Zhuge Liang outsmarted Cao A's troops in Hanzhong and retreated into the sloping valley. Cao Cao was in a dilemma. The cook brings in the chicken soup. Cao Cao saw that there were chicken ribs in the bowl, so he felt emotional. While he was meditating, Xiahou Dun entered the account and asked for the night slogan.

Cao Cao said casually: "Weak ribs! Chicken ribs!" All the officials in Dun's order called them "chicken ribs." Yang Xiu, the chief of the marching army, saw the word "tasteless" in the pass, so he told the accompanying sergeants to pack up and prepare to return. Someone reported to Xiahou Dun.

Dun was shocked, so he invited Yang Xiu to the tent and asked, "Why are you packing your luggage?" There is no meat in the food, but there is no taste in the food. If you can't win now, if you retreat, it will be of no use. It is better to return early: the king of Wei will be on duty in the future, so pack your bags first to avoid panic before leaving."

Due to the allusion of Cao Cao eating chicken ribs, "chicken ribs" is often used to describe the dilemma of "it is tasteless to eat and it is a pity to throw it away".

Baidu Encyclopedia-It’s tasteless to eat, it’s a pity to throw it away