吃大锅饭

吃大鍋飯

chīdàguōfàn

phrase

Meanings

1 to eat from the big communal pot (lit.)
2 to be rewarded equally regardless of effort
3 egalitarianism that blunts incentives

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

以前国营单位就是吃大锅饭，干多干少一个样。

Yǐqián guóyíng dānwèi jiùshì chī dàguōfàn, gàn duō gàn shǎo yígeyàng.

Old state-run work units ate from the big pot - whether you worked hard or barely at all, the pay was the same.

HSK 7-9

绩效考核就是为了打破吃大锅饭的局面。

Jìxiào kǎohé jiùshì wèile dǎpò chī dàguōfàn de júmiàn.

Performance reviews exist precisely to break the 'common pot' dynamic.

Tips

history

The 大锅饭, a single huge communal pot, recalls the canteens of the late-1950s People's Communes, where villagers ate together for free. After the reforms that began in 1978, 吃大锅饭 became the usual way to describe pay and rewards shared out equally regardless of effort.

Stroke Order

吃 chī

大 dà

锅 guō

饭 fàn