吃老本

Chinese

		eat; eradicate; destroy eat; eradicate; destroy; receive; stammer	capital; assets; savings capital; assets; savings; reputation; merit
trad. (吃老本)		吃	老本
simp. #(吃老本)		吃	老本

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): chī lǎoběn

  (Zhuyin): ㄔ ㄌㄠˇ ㄅㄣˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hek³ lou⁵ bun²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chī lǎoběn [Phonetic: chīláoběn]
    • Zhuyin: ㄔ ㄌㄠˇ ㄅㄣˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chih lǎoběn
    • Wade–Giles: chʻih¹ lao³-pên³
    • Yale: chr̄ lǎu-běn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chy laobeen
    • Palladius: чи лаобэнь (či laobɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed) (吃老本兒／吃老本儿)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chīlǎoběnr [Phonetic: chīláoběnr]
    • Zhuyin: ㄔ ㄌㄠˇ ㄅㄣˇㄦ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chihlǎoběnr
    • Wade–Giles: chʻih¹-lao³-pên³-ʼrh
    • Yale: chr̄-lǎu-běnr
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chylaobeel
    • Palladius: чилаобэньр (čilaobɛnʹr)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩⁵⁵ lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ pəɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: hek³ lou⁵ bun²
    • Yale: hek lóuh bún
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hek⁸ lou⁵ bun²
    • Guangdong Romanization: hég³ lou⁵ bun²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɛːk̚³ lou̯¹³ puːn³⁵/

Verb

吃老本

1. to live off one's past gains or past glory; to live on one's fat; rest on past achievements; to rest on one's laurels

   但她不吃老本，早已有了未來的宏偉計劃。 [MSC, trad.]
   但她不吃老本，早已有了未来的宏伟计划。 [MSC, simp.]

   Dàn tā bù chī lǎoběn, zǎoyǐ yǒule wèilái de hóngwěi jìhuà. [Pinyin]

   Instead of coasting on her success, she already has big plans for the future.

   他失業後盡吃老本。 [MSC, trad.]
   他失业后尽吃老本。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā shīyè hòu jìn chī lǎoběn. [Pinyin]

   After he lost his job, he had to use up all his savings.

Synonyms

• (Cantonese) 食老本