铁纱帽

鐵紗帽
tiěshāmào
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 a rock-solid official post, an unshakable job
  2. 2 a position that cannot be lost

Examples

Zài guóqǐ gōngzuò jiù xiàng dàizhe tiěshāmào, wěn de hěn.
Working at a state-owned enterprise is like wearing an iron cap — rock-solid job security.
Jiùsuàn tiěshāmào yě bùyīdìng guǎnyòng, zhè niántou shéi dōu kěnéng bèi cái.
Even an 'iron cap' isn't guaranteed anymore; anyone can get cut these days.

Tips

culture
The was the silk gauze cap worn by imperial officials and became shorthand for office itself ( = official post). Adding turns that cap into iron — unbreakable, untouchable tenure.

Stroke Order

tiě
shā
mào