官不威，牙爪威 — “The official is not mighty, but the henchmen are”
官不威，牙爪威 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to a situation where a superior may not be assertive or intimidating, but their subordinates or close associates abuse their connection to act arrogantly, throw their weight around, and intimidate others”. Literally, “The official is not mighty, but the henchmen are”.
官不威，牙爪威 Pronunciation and Pinyin
官不威，牙爪威 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 官不威，牙爪威
Idioms Related to 官不威，牙爪威
Synonyms of 官不威，牙爪威
More idioms starting with 官
- guān官shì事guān官bàn办handle official matters by the book
- guān官cāng仓lǎo老shǔ鼠Corrupt official abusing power for personal gain
- guān官bī偪mín民fǎn反Oppression forces people to rebel
- guān官liáo僚zhǔ主yì义excessive adherence to rules and formalities
- guān官bēi卑zhí职xiǎo小low-ranking official with little power
- guān官chǎng场rú如xì戏Officialdom is like a theatrical play
- guān官fù复yuán原zhí职reinstated to former office
- guān官guān官xiāng相wéi为officials protect each other
- guān官guān官xiāng相wèi卫Officials collude to protect each other
- guān官guān官xiāng相hù护officials shielding each other
- guān官qíng情zhǐ纸báo薄Official relationships are superficial and fragile
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Open the tool →Questions about 官不威，牙爪威
What does 官不威，牙爪威 mean?
官不威，牙爪威 (guān bù wēi ， yá zhǎo wēi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “refers to a situation where a superior may not be assertive or intimidating, but their subordinates or close associates abuse their connection to act arrogantly, throw their weight around, and intimidate others”.
How do you pronounce 官不威，牙爪威?
官不威，牙爪威 is pronounced guān bù wēi ， yá zhǎo wēi in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 官不威，牙爪威 literally mean?
Literally, 官不威，牙爪威 means “the official is not mighty, but the henchmen are”. It is used to mean “refers to a situation where a superior may not be assertive or intimidating, but their subordinates or close associates abuse their connection to act arrogantly, throw their weight around, and intimidate others”.
What is the Chinese definition of 官不威，牙爪威?
牙爪：爪牙，比喻辅佐的人。指官员未必威风凶悍，手下人则仗势逞威耍狂