吃老本

chīlǎoběn
idiom #49,994

Meanings

  1. 1 to rest on one's laurels
  2. 2 to coast on past achievements
  3. 3 to live off what you knew or earned long ago

Examples

Jìshù gēngxīn zhème kuài, lǎo chī lǎoběn shì bù xíng de.
Technology moves so fast; you can't just keep coasting on what you already know.
Tā zǎonián de chéngjì zài hǎo, xiànzài yě bù néng yìzhí chī lǎoběn.
However impressive his early achievements, he can't keep living off them forever.

Tips

usage
Typically negative, implying laziness or complacency. 老本 originally means capital / principal (as opposed to earnings) — you're eating into your savings instead of making new ones.

Stroke Order

chī
lǎo
běn