A group of young diners in China had the shock of their lives when a rat jumped into their hot pot while they were having a meal.

In a video circulating on Chinese social media sites, the four diners are seen leaping from their seats and away from their table at the Shenzhen restaurant, after a rat scurried down from the ceiling.

The rodent then climbed down the wall and jumped onto their table, before taking a brief dip in the hot pot soup, according to reports by Chinese media.

Eventually, the rat ran away, but the diners were so disgusted by the encounter that they could not finish their meal.

They asked for a refund, but the restaurant owner refused, reported Chinese news outlet The Paper.

Instead, the owner offered to replace their hot pot soup, adding that the appearance of the rat had already caused him much losses.

The two parties got into an argument, but the diners relented in the end and paid for their 292 yuan (S$61) meal in full.

According to The Paper, the restaurant owner said he did not think much of the incident as he thought the diners were young and would not mind.

However, after law enforcement officers visited the restaurant, the owner decided to refund the four diners.