不怕官，只怕管 in English bu4 pa4 guan1 , zhi3 pa4 guan3 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) it is not an official to be feared, but a person in direct control over somebody (proverb)
  • metaphorically to be obliged to comply with people in authority

Simplified Characters

不 怕 官 ， 只 怕 管

Traditional Characters

不 怕 官 ， 只 怕 管

Pinyin

bu4 pa4 guan1 , zhi3 pa4 guan3

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

不bu4(negative prefix) 怕pa4surname Pa 官guan1surname Guan ， 只zhi3only 怕pa4surname Pa 管guan3variant of 管[guan3]