狗改不了吃屎

gǒugǎibuliǎochīshǐ

idiom vulgar

Meanings

1 lit. a dog can't stop eating shit
2 fig. bad habits die hard; a leopard can't change its spots

Characters

(potential complement) able to

shit, excrement

Examples

他又开始赌博了，真是狗改不了吃屎。

Tā yòu kāishǐ dǔbó le, zhēnshì gǒu gǎibuliǎo chīshǐ.

He's started gambling again — bad habits die hard, just like the saying goes.

你别指望他改，狗改不了吃屎。

Nǐ bié zhǐwàng tā gǎi, gǒu gǎibuliǎo chīshǐ.

Don't expect him to change — a leopard can't change its spots.

Tips

register

Crude colloquial idiom — fine among friends or for a punchy putdown, never appropriate in formal writing or polite company. The English 'leopard can't change its spots' is a much milder equivalent.

Stroke Order

狗 gǒu

改 gǎi

不 bù

了 le

吃 chī

屎 shǐ