they have retired from the court to take their their meal(tuì shí zì gōng)

they have retired from the court to take their their meal

Tuishi, a Chinese word, pronounced Tu ì sh í Z ì g ō ng, means to cut down on food to show thrift. It refers to integrity. It comes from the book of songs, Zhaonan, lamb.

The idiom comes from "the book of songs · Zhaonan · lamb": "give up your food, give up the snake, give up the snake."

Chinese PinYin : tuì shí zì gōng