A henpecked hubby’s hapless bid to avoid a telling off from his wife has helped him clean up on social media.

CCTV footage which emerged in China shows the man loafing in front of the TV while his wife helps their son with his homework.

But as he hears her rowing angrily with the lad, he sits bolt upright and desperately grabs a duster seconds before she enters the room.

The footage, in which the man is desperate to also avoid a tongue lashing was filmed in the city of Weifang in the central Shandong, which is an eastern, coastal province in China, on Monday, 21st March.

In the video, the father, who has not been named, can be seen relaxingly sitting on the sofa and playing on his mobile phone with his legs crossed, while a toddler is sitting in a highchair watching TV.

As the man hears his wife’s voice shouting in the other room, he instantly stands up and then starts to energetically wipe the table, pretending he was cleaning all the time.

The woman comes into the living room, apparently annoyed, and after standing for a while, goes back to the other room and the man sits again, relieved that he has avoided a quarrel with his wife.

Netizens made a lot of funny comments on the social network Douyin, such as user ‘Xiaomi Eva’ who wrote: “When the heroine came out and saw the man working, she got angry and turned around and went back.”

‘Little Carp Growth Notes’ said: “This is too dangerous. Fortunately, there is a rag next to him.”

‘laugh badly’ commented: “Full of desire to survive (Sneak peek), this is the case with children at home.”