Sponge squeeze
压榨
A harsh Chinese business term: "squeezing the sponge" — meaning extracting every last drop of value from employees. It d...
Kill chicken scare monkey
杀鸡儆猴
A famous Chinese business management tactic: "kill the chicken to scare the monkey." It means punishing one person harsh...
Ride horse look for horse
骑马找马
A pragmatic Chinese career strategy: "while riding one horse, look for another horse." It means keeping your current job...
Eat big pot rice
吃大锅饭
A term from China's socialist era: "eating from the big pot" — meaning equal distribution regardless of contribution. Ev...
Work bull work horse
当牛做马
A vivid Chinese expression of workplace exhaustion: "working like a bull and a horse" — meaning working extremely hard, ...
One face good one face bad
当面一套背后一套
A Chinese business criticism: "one face in front, another face behind." It describes someone who acts friendly to your f...
Wear small shoes
穿小鞋
A uniquely Chinese business expression: "wearing small shoes" means being deliberately given a hard time by someone in p...
Step stone
垫脚石
A Chinese business metaphor for a "stepping stone" — a position or person used as a means to reach a higher goal. In Chi...
Burn bridge after cross river
过河拆桥
A Chinese business idiom about ungratefulness: "after crossing the river, burn the bridge." It describes someone who use...
Carry the pot / Bei guo
背锅
A vividly descriptive Chinese business term: "carrying the pot" means taking the blame for something you didn't do — bei...
Beat worker / Da gong ren
打工人
A self-deprecating Chinese term for the modern worker: "the beaten worker" or "wage laborer." It went viral as a way for...
Lie flat / Tang ping
躺平
The ultimate Chinese response to the rat race: "lie flat" means giving up the exhausting competition for wealth and stat...
Inside roll / Nei juan
内卷
A modern Chinese business phenomenon: "involution" or "inside roll" — the exhausting competition where everyone works ha...
Face project
面子工程
A critical Chinese business term: a "face project" is a vanity project done primarily to gain face (prestige, reputation...
Eat bitter
吃苦
A cornerstone of Chinese work ethic: "eat bitterness" or "endure hardship." It describes the ability to withstand diffic...
Iron rice bowl
铁饭碗
A classic Chinese business term for a secure, lifelong job — usually in government or state-owned enterprises. "Iron ric...
Guan xi
关系
A Chinese word that has entered global business vocabulary. "Guan xi" (关系) literally means "relationship" but in busines...
No wind, no waves
无风不起浪
"No wind, no waves" is a literal translation of the Chinese proverb "无风不起浪" (wú fēng bù qǐ làng), meaning "there are no ...
Kill chicken, warn monkey
杀鸡儆猴
To punish someone as a warning to others. A famous Chinese idiom literally translated, often used in business and manage...