The story
Calque from Chinese 鐵飯碗／铁饭碗 (tiěfànwǎn), from 鐵／铁 (tiě, “iron”) + 飯碗／饭碗 (fànwǎn, “rice bowl”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
iron rice bowl
Today it means: A guaranteed state job in China that lasts until retirement and pays a pension until death. Full definition →