吃 不 了 兜 着 走

chī bu liǎo dōu zhe zǒudictionary entry

lit. if you can't eat it all, you'll have to take it home (idiom) / fig. you'll have to take the consequences

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-426070182c7f4666. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

吃不了兜著走 吃不了兜着走 [chi1 bu5 liao3 dou1 zhe5 zou3] /lit. if you can't eat it all, you'll have to take it home (idiom)/fig. you'll have to take the consequences/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 吃不了兜著走

吃
chī
to eat / to consume / to eat at (a cafeteria etc) / to eradicate / to destroy / to absorb / to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc)
不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
了
le
(completed action marker) / (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now) / (modal particle intensifying preceding clause)
liǎo
to finish / (used with 得[dé] or 不[bù] after a verb to express (im)possibility, as in 忘不了[wàng bu liǎo] "cannot forget") / (literary) (usually followed by a negative such as 無|无[wú] or 不[bù]) completely (not) / entirely (not) / (not) in the least / (bound form) clear in one's mind / to understand clearly
liào
See the full entry for source details.
兜
dōu
pocket / bag / to wrap up or hold in a bag / to move in a circle / to canvas or solicit / to take responsibility for / to disclose in detail / combat armor (old)
着
zhāo
a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuó]) / trick / tactic / (dialect) okay / all right / (dialect) to put in / to add
zháo
to touch / to come in contact with / to feel / to be affected by / to catch fire / to burn / (coll.) to fall asleep / (after a verb) hitting the mark / succeeding in
zhe
aspect particle indicating action in progress or ongoing state
zhuó
to wear (clothes) / to contact / to use / to apply
走
zǒu
to walk / to go / to run / to move (of vehicle) / to visit / to leave / to go away / to die (euph.) / from / through / away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[chè zǒu]) / to change (shape, form, meaning)

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.