This is the dramatic moment a waiter spilt boiling soup over himself to avoid scalding two children.

Mr Liu, the restaurant owner, was carrying the 105-degree Celsius pot of soup to serve a table in Chengdu, China, on the evening of April 18.

As he was making his way through the dining area, two toddlers suddenly sprinted into his path.

The quick-thinking waiter dodged the child in front of him and allowed the scalding soup to spill onto his hands, enduring the severe pain to protect the children.

He managed to dodge the boy, who had come to a stop in front of him, while his stunned playmate froze in place.

Mr Liu quickly alerted the parents and continued to serve the meal to the customer standing by.

The owner said: 'At that moment, I had to let the oil burn me. If I had poured it on the child's head, they would have been burned.'

The children's family later approached Mr Liu and purchased ointment for his burns.

He reportedly did not sustain any serious injuries from the incident.