also: せんちでまんじゅう
expression
if you're hungry, where you eat doesn't matter
Proverb meaning that when you are truly hungry, you won't be picky about the place or circumstances. Literally 'manjū in the toilet'.
See also: まんじゅう
「雪隠で饅頭」という諺は、空腹なら場所を選ばないという意味だ。
The proverb 'manjū in the toilet' means that if you're hungry, you don't care where you eat.
expression
hiding something good for oneself alone
Idiomatic use: secretly enjoying a treat in a private place like a toilet, implying selfishly keeping something good to oneself.
彼は雪隠で饅頭のように、いい話を独り占めしている。
He's keeping the good news to himself, like eating manjū in the toilet.
饅頭 is a steamed bun with filling; the proverb uses it as a desirable food. The expression is not about manjū itself but about the situation.
The phrase literally means 'manjū in the toilet'. 雪隠 (せっちん) is an old word for toilet. The proverb likely arose from the image of eating a treat in an unsavory place, emphasizing that hunger overrides disgust. The idiomatic sense extends this to hiding pleasures.