吃软饭

    chīruǎnfàn

    Meaning: "吃" means to "eat," and "软饭" literally means "soft rice." As the analogy of eating a meal is used to refer to "making a living," this term, rather deprecating, refers to the situation where a man depends on his girlfriend or wife for a living. Women are traditionally thought to be the fairer sex--they are gentle and soft.

    Example

    A: 小丽找了个大帅哥，你见过吗？

    Xiǎolì zhǎo le gè dà shuàigē, nǐ jiànguò ma?

    Xiaoli is dating a cute guy. Have you met him?

    B: 见过。听说他没找工作，常常要小丽帮他交房租、买衣服。

    Jiànguò。Tīngshuō tā méi zhǎo gōngzuò, chángcháng yào xiǎolì bāng tā jiāo fángzū、mǎi yīfū。

    Yes, I have. I heard he is jobless and often asks Xiaoli to pay his rents and buy his clothes.

    A: 原来他是吃软饭的。

    Yuánlái tā shì chīruǎnfàn de。

    So he depends on his girlfriend for a living.