Choleric boss, lousy co-workers, crappy paycheck? Time to change the feeding trough! Originally, the Chinese horse term was 跳槽 tiàocáo (literally „to jump to another trough“), namely when disloyal hoofed animals simply defected to another owner where the food was more bountiful. In the meantime, the metaphor has become a common synonym for changing jobs (because tastier conditions beckon elsewhere). Especially after the Chinese New Year, Chinese employees like to take the plunge. By then, the Spring Festival bonus (a counterpart to our Christmas bonus) has already been cashed in as a salary cherry on the cake. So it’s a good time to look for greener pastures.