Qiang Gao, 39, attacked the co-worker in the kitchen of the Szechuan Express takeaway in Thatcham, Berkshire in May.
The victim, 40, suffered severe head injuries including a fractured skull and had a finger partially severed.
Gao, of Acorn Drive, Thatcham was found guilty of attempted murder at Reading Crown Court.
Adrian Foster, chief crown prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said: "There is no doubt that, with the force used, Gao intended to kill the victim.
"Gao clearly acted out of blind retaliation in a grossly disproportionate manner and is undoubtedly an extremely dangerous man."
Gao was arrested on 28 May and charged with attempted murder the following day.
He denied attempted murder, claiming self-defence, but was found guilty by a jury after a five-day trial.
A man who struck a colleague in the head with a meat cleaver after a row over a chicken has been jailed for 11 years.