Tiếng Việt · Idiom Attested

ăn cháo đá bát

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Also seen as: ăn cháo đái bát

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To be ungrateful — to turn against or abandon the very person who helped you.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Bội bạc, phản bội hay bỏ rơi người đã giúp đỡ mình

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: To eat the porridge, then kick the bowl.

How to use it

✓ Use it when

Condemning betrayal of a benefactor: mentors, parents, employers, patrons.

✗ Avoid it when

It is a strong moral accusation; not for light teasing.

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

Examples

Công ty đào tạo nó từ đầu, giờ nó kéo cả khách hàng đi — đúng là ăn cháo đá bát.The company trained him from scratch, and now he takes the clients with him — truly eating the porridge and kicking the bowl.

Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Sources & notes

The variant “ăn cháo đái bát” (cruder verb) is also widely attested; both convey the same betrayal-of-gratitude meaning.

Equivalents & related

Near equivalent bite the hand that feeds you To harm or betray someone who has helped or supported you. English Related qua cầu rút ván To discard the people who helped you once you no longer need them; to destroy the way back after getting what you wanted. Tiếng Việt Near equivalent burn your bridges To act in a way that makes returning to a previous situation or relationship impossible, often by leaving on bad terms. English · via qua cầu rút ván Related qua đò khinh sóng To scorn a danger once it is safely behind you — becoming dismissive or arrogant after hardship has passed. Tiếng Việt · via qua cầu rút ván

Lighter cards are two steps away in the meaning graph — equivalents of equivalents, reached via the entry shown on the card.

Topics: Food

Common questions

What does “ăn cháo đá bát” mean?

To be ungrateful — to turn against or abandon the very person who helped you. Literally: To eat the porridge, then kick the bowl.

Is “ăn cháo đá bát” formal or informal?

ăn cháo đá bát is generally informal; connotation: strongly reproachful.

What is the closest equivalent?

“bite the hand that feeds you” (English) — near equivalent.