chī​lǎo​běn

to live off one's capital

  • created sense approved 吃老本 · chī​lǎo​běn · to live off one's capital — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    吃老本

    chī​lǎo​běn

    to live off one's capital

    Originally of a merchant: to spend one's principal or capital to cover losses or maintain oneself

    吃, 老本

    吃 (literal) → 吃 · chī · to live on 老本 (literal) → 老本 · lǎo​běn · capital

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense

  • created sense approved 吃老本 · chī​lǎo​běn · to rest on one's laurels — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    吃老本

    chī​lǎo​běn

    to rest on one's laurels

    To rely on past achievements, seniority, or skills rather than making new progress or learning new things

    吃, 老本

    吃 (literal) → 吃 · chī · to live on 老本 (literal) → 老本 · lǎo​běn · past achievements

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense