Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

iron rice bowl

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.16 in modern English

Syllables: iron rice bowl
IPA

19

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

1

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A guaranteed state job in China that lasts until retirement and pays a pension until death.

Example Sentences

"Large or small, a state enterprise took care of all the needs of its workers and dependents, providing housing, schools, and health facilities at minimal cost - the so-called "iron rice bowl" which the economic mobilizers said now had to be 'smashed'."

Etymology

Calque from Chinese 鐵飯碗／铁饭碗 (tiěfànwǎn), from 鐵／铁 (tiě, “iron”) + 飯碗／饭碗 (fànwǎn, “rice bowl”).

Inflected Forms

iron rice bowls (plural)

Questions

What does iron rice bowl mean?: A guaranteed state job in China that lasts until retirement and pays a pension until death.
Where does iron rice bowl come from?: Calque from Chinese 鐵飯碗／铁饭碗 (tiěfànwǎn), from 鐵／铁 (tiě, “iron”) + 飯碗／饭碗 (fànwǎn, “rice bowl”).

How to pronounce iron rice bowl

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