Chinese–EnglishWith examples

饭碗

fàn wǎn · fan wan

Traditional 飯碗

HSK 7–9

Meaning

CC-CEDICT
  1. rice bowl
  2. fig. livelihood
  3. job
  4. way of making a living
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In a conversation

0:15 cartoon

The iron rice bowl

  1. Liangliang

    你(nǐ)现在(xiànzài)做(zuò)什么(shénme)工作(gōngzuò)？饭碗(fànwǎn)稳吗(wěnma)？

    What work do you do now? Is your job stable?

  2. Dengdeng

    稳(wěn)！我的(wǒde)饭碗(fànwǎn)是(shì)铁的(tiěde)。

    Stable! My rice bowl is made of iron.

  3. Liangliang

    铁的(tiěde)？那(nà)太(tài)重(zhòng)了吧(leba)。

    Iron? Then it is too heavy.

  4. Dengdeng

    哈哈(hāhā)，我(wǒ)是说(shìshuō)工作(gōngzuò)稳(wěn)，吃饭(chīfàn)的(de)碗(wǎn)是(shì)塑料的(sùliàode)。

    Ha ha, I mean the job is stable. The bowl I eat from is plastic.

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In a sentence

2 examples
01

即(jí)使(shǐ)我(wǒ)拿(ná)不(bu)到(dào)高(gāo)工(gōng)资(zī)，我(wǒ)也(yě)不(bù)肯(kěn)放(fàng)弃(qì)这(zhè)个(ge)饭(fàn)碗(wǎn)。

Even if I don't get a high salary, I'm not willing to quit this way of making a living.

Tatoeba: Chinese by sysko · English by sysko · CC BY 2.0 FR. Pinyin added or corrected.

02

公(gōng)司(sī)裁(cái)员(yuán)后(hòu)，他(tā)一(yí)下(xià)子(zi)失(shī)去(qù)了(le)饭(fàn)碗(wǎn)。

After the company laid people off, he suddenly lost his job.

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How to write

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Mainland China stroke order, including traditional characters. Drawing sources & licenses.

Definitions adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG and its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Pinyin display and entry grouping have been adapted.

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