你那饭碗肯定保不了了
“will definitely cost you your job.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
张云旗 我告诉你啊 得罪了老胡
“Zhang Yunqi, let me tell you, offending Mr. Hu”
你那 饭碗 肯定 保 不了 了
“will definitely cost you your job.”
“You are as good as fired, you really blew it this time.”
In Chinese culture, one's livelihood and employment are universally symbolized as a 'rice bowl' (饭碗); endangering it is considered the most serious practical catastrophe.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
rice bowl; metaphor for one's job or livelihood
Crucial cultural metaphor. '保不住饭碗' or '丢饭碗' means losing one's job and source of income.
cannot protect; cannot preserve
Potential complement indicating impossibility of keeping something safe.
Indicates an imminent, inevitable change of state or situation.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“Just keeping my job this time is already a blessing.”
“How do I keep my job, then? You know, I was jobless for a year after graduation.”
“I don't mind having one more person to feed.”
“Isn't that taking away their livelihood?”
“She's even too busy to have meals.”
“Common people can barely afford to eat,”