relying completely on others; being totally dependent
Idiomatic expression literally meaning 'piggyback and hug'; used to describe a situation where someone depends entirely on another person for everything, often with a negative or critical tone.
He relies completely on his parents and does nothing for himself.
いつまでもおんぶに抱っこではいられないよ。
You can't keep depending on others forever.
Common kana-kanji mixed spelling; the kanji 抱 is standard for だっこ.
Rare kanji spelling using 負 for おんぶ; learners are unlikely to encounter this form.
Compound of おんぶ (piggyback) and 抱っこ (hug, carrying in arms), both child-rearing terms. The idiom figuratively extends the image of a child being carried in every way to describe complete dependence on others.