不怕官，只怕管

Chinese

		to not fear; to be fearless; to be not afraid to not fear; to be fearless; to be not afraid; even if; even though	official; government; organ of body		only; merely; just only; merely; just; but	to be afraid; to fear	to take care (of); to control; to manage to take care (of); to control; to manage; to be in charge of; to look after; to run; tube; pipe
trad. (不怕官，只怕管)		不怕	官	，	只	怕	管
simp. #(不怕官，只怕管)		不怕	官	，	只	怕	管
Literally: “It is the clerk, not the official, that is to be feared.”

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): bùpà guān, zhǐ pà guǎn

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄨˋ ㄆㄚˋ ㄍㄨㄢ , ㄓˇ ㄆㄚˋ ㄍㄨㄢˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bat¹ paa³ gun¹, zi² paa³ gun²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: bùpà guān, zhǐ pà guǎn [Phonetic: búpà guān, zhǐ pà guǎn]
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄨˋ ㄆㄚˋ ㄍㄨㄢ , ㄓˇ ㄆㄚˋ ㄍㄨㄢˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: bùpà guan, jhǐh pà guǎn
    • Wade–Giles: pu⁴-pʻa⁴ kuan¹, chih³ pʻa⁴ kuan³
    • Yale: bù-pà gwān-, jř pà gwǎn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bupah guan, jyy pah goan
    • Palladius: бупа гуань, чжи па гуань (bupa guanʹ, čži pa guanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ pʰä⁵¹ ku̯än⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ pʰä⁵¹ ku̯än²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bat¹ paa³ gun¹, zi² paa³ gun²
    • Yale: bāt pa gūn, jí pa gún
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bat⁷ paa³ gun¹, dzi² paa³ gun²
    • Guangdong Romanization: bed¹ pa³ gun¹, ji² pa³ gun²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐt̚⁵ pʰaː³³ kuːn⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ pʰaː³³ kuːn³⁵/

Noun

不怕官，只怕管

1. The person in direct control, however low in position, is the one to be reckoned with.