吃里扒外 (chī lǐ pá wài) — (idiom) to bite the hand that feeds you; to double-cross one's own side

Definition

A strong, written chengyu for betraying the group or company that supports you — literally 'eat inside, scrape outside.' More literary and harsher than plain betray or sell out.

idiom
to bite the hand that feeds youto double-cross one's own side

Examples

  • 吃里扒外，。
    Tā jū rán duì bāng zhù guò tā de gōng sī chī lǐ pá wài, tài ràng rén shī wàng le.
    He actually bit the hand of the company that helped him — so disappointing.
  • 吃里扒外。
    Zhè zhǒng chī lǐ pá wài de xíng wéi zài tuán duì lǐ jué duì bù néng róng rěn.
    This kind of betrayal cannot be tolerated in a team.
  • 吃里扒外，。
    Dà jiā dōu mà tā chī lǐ pá wài, chū mài le péng you.
    Everyone cursed him for being a traitor and selling out his friends.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
乞
乞qǐ吃chī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

吃 combines 口 (mouth) with 乞, which gives the sound; it originally wrote a word meaning to stutter.

Open 吃 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 裡; 里 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 里 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (里, 里面) it is 裡; in others (公里) it is 里 or 裏.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衤Written in full as衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
里
里lǐ裡lǐ
Same sound today

The form 裡 pairs 衤 (clothes) with 里 as a sound component.

Open 里 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
八
八bā扒bā
Same sound today

扒 contains 手, a hand, showing an action done with the hand, and 八, which gives the sound.

Open 扒 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
卜卜bǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
月
月yuè外wài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

外 pairs 卜 with 月, a crescent moon; in its older form, the 卜 part had a horizontal bar extending outward, giving the sense of outside.

Open 外 →

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