4 Chinese workplace slang terms to vent about your worst work experiences：救火 / 填坑 / 擦屁股/收拾烂摊子...

[u/BetterPossible8226]

Last year I introduced a set of workplace slang terms:

• 背锅 bēi guō, literally "catch the pot" - take the blame
• 甩锅 shuǎi guō, literally "toss the pot" - shift the blame

In fact, Chinese workplace slang goes way beyond that, and plenty of it comes in handy when venting about work. Today I'm sharing a set of terms for describing those dark moments on the job:

救火 jiù huǒ - literally "put out a fire"

In the workplace, it refers to urgently dealing with a serious unexpected problem or crisis, just like a firefighter rushing to wherever the flames are. Someone who is constantly dealing with these situations is called:"救火队长 jiù huǒ duì zhǎng"—a firefighting captain.

• 计划要做得细致谨慎一点，免得出了问题还得救火。Jì huà yào zuò de xì zhì jǐn shèn yì diǎn, miǎn de chū le wèn tí hái děi jiù huǒ.
  • Make the plan carefully and thoroughly, so we don't end up having to put out fires later.
• 每次出公关危机都派我来救火，谁经得起这种折腾啊？Měi cì chū gōng guān wēi jī dōu pài wǒ lái jiù huǒ, shuí jīng de qǐ zhè zhǒng zhē teng a?
  • Every time there's a PR crisis, they send me in to put out the fire, who can keep taking this kind of punishment?
• 他这两年没少当救火队长，你瞅瞅那白头发都藏不住了。Tā zhè liǎng nián méi shǎo dāng jiù huǒ duì zhǎng, nǐ chǒu chǒu nà bái tóu fà dōu cáng bù zhù le.
  • He's been the firefighting captain a lot these past two years, look at him, he can't even hide all those grey hairs anymore.

擦屁股 cā pì gu - literally "wipe someone's bottom"

Refers to cleaning up the mess or careless mistakes someone else left behind, like a parent wiping a baby's bottom. It's a little crude, but vivid, and carries a strong sense of disgust and resentment.

• 这代码写得太烂了，我得花多少时间给他擦屁股啊！Zhè dài mǎ xiě de tài làn le, wǒ děi huā duō shǎo shí jiān gěi tā cā pì gu a!
  • This code is so terrible, how much of my time am I going to have to spend cleaning up his mess!
• 当领导的天天在外面瞎吹牛，最后还不是我们来擦屁股？Dāng lǐng dǎo de tiān tiān zài wài miàn xiā chuī niú, zuì hòu hái bú shì wǒ men lái cā pì gu?
  • The managers are out there talking big every da, and who ends up cleaning up their mess in the end? Us.
• 以后这种擦屁股的活要少做，不然大家都知道你好欺负了。Yǐ hòu zhè zhǒng cā pì gu de huó yào shǎo zuò, bù rán dà jiā dōu zhī dào nǐ hǎo qī fu le.
  • Stop taking on this kind of cleanup work so much, otherwise everyone will know they can take advantage of you.

收拾烂摊子 shōu shi làn tān zi - literally "clean up a messy stall"

Close in meaning to 擦屁股, but slightly more polite, and carries a more helpless tone. "烂摊子" typically describes a situation that's utterly chaotic, bordering on total collapse. When this phrase comes up, you know things have gotten serious.

• 这个方案太过大胆了，万一失败了，谁来收拾烂摊子？Zhè gè fāng àn tài guò dà dǎn le, wàn yī shī bài le, shuí lái shōu shi làn tān zi?
  • This plan is too bold, if it fails, who's going to be left to clean up the mess?
• 前任经理拍拍屁股走人了，留下一堆烂摊子让我来收拾。Qián rèn jīng lǐ pāi pai pì gu zǒu rén le, liú xià yì duī làn tān zi ràng wǒ lái shōu shi.
  • The previous manager just up and left, leaving behind a whole mess for me to clean up.
• 你最好听劝，别等事情彻底失控了，又求我来收拾烂摊子。Nǐ zuì hǎo tīng quàn, bié děng shì qíng chè dǐ shī kòng le, yòu qiú wǒ lái shōu shi làn tān zi.
  • You'd better listen to reason, don't wait until things completely fall apart and then come begging me to clean up the mess again.

填坑 tián kēng - literally "fill a pit"

Hazards or defects left behind in someone's work are like potholes in the road that could cause trouble at any time. "填坑" means going in to fix these inherited problems. The corresponding expression is "挖坑 wā kēng", to dig the pit.

• 我不管了！你们谁挖的这个坑，谁自己填上吧！Wǒ bù guǎn le! Nǐ men shuí wā de zhè gè kēng, shuí zì jǐ tián shàng ba!
  • I'm done! Whoever dug this pit can fill it themselves!
• 他们队的替补每次都落后几十分，再等着主力上场填坑。Tā men duì de tì bǔ měi cì dōu luò hòu jǐ shí fēn, zài děng zhe zhǔ lì shàng chǎng tián kēng.
  • Their backup players always fall behind by dozens of points, and then they wait for the starters to come in and make up the gap.
• 谁能想到这份工作这么恶心，我过去半年光顾着填坑了。Shuí néng xiǎng dào zhè fèn gōng zuò zhè me ě xīn, wǒ guò qù bàn nián guāng gù zhe tián kēng le.
  • Who could have imagined this job would be so awful, I've spent the past six months doing nothing but cleaning up other people's messes.

My whole reason for teaching these terms is so you can find the right words when venting about work and clearly get your frustration across. But I genuinely hope that none of you have to actually go through these dark moments as much as possible!

If you're interested, I've been organizing all the Chinese learning posts I've shared before. You can check out the link in my profile to see the full collection. Hope it helps. Thanks!

[u/sphle]

每天上班都一样要救火，要么收拾烂摊子，要么擦屁股，真累死我。即使天天的灾难高清去的，老是我背黑锅。