只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯 — “A double standard”
只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a double standard”. Officials are allowed to commit arson while common people are forbidden to light lamps, meaning those in power can act with impunity while ordinary people are restricted from even legitimate activities. Literally, “Only allow officials to set fires, not allow common people to light lamps”.
只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯 Pronunciation and Pinyin
只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯 Character Breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Strokes | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| zhǐ | 5 | only, just, merely | |
| zhǔn | 10 | allow accurate standard quasi | |
| zhōu | 6 | ancient administrative division | |
| guān | 8 | official, organ | |
| fàng | 8 | release, let go, put | |
| huǒ | 4 | fire, urgent, popular | |
| ， | ， | — | |
| bù | 4 | not | |
| zhǔn | 10 | allow accurate standard quasi | |
| bǎi | 6 | one hundred, numerous | |
| xìng | 8 | family name | |
| diǎn | 9 | point, dot, or spot | |
| dēng | 6 | lamp or lantern |
Example Sentence with 只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯
Idioms Related to 只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯
Synonyms of 只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯
More idioms starting with 只
- zhǐ只zhēng争dàn旦xī夕seize every minute and second
- zhǐ只zhēng争zhāo朝xī夕Seize every minute and second
- zhǐ只fèng凤gū孤huáng凰a single person without a partner
- zhǐ只kě可yì意huì会，，bù不kě可yán言chuán传understood intuitively, not expressed in words
- zhǐ只kě可zhì智qǔ取，，bù不kě可lì力dí敌Win by wisdom, not by force
- zhǐ只tīng听lóu楼tī梯xiǎng响，，bù不jiàn见rén人xià下lai来all talk and no action
- zhī只zì字bù不tí提not mention a single word
- zhī只zì字piàn片yán言a single word or a few remarks
- zhǐ只yǐng影dān单xíng形utterly alone
- zhǐ只yǐng影gū孤xíng形utterly alone and isolated
- zhǐ只shǒu手dān单quán拳a lone hand with meager power
Recommended tools
Chinese Text Image Generator
Create PNGs with pinyin, highlight character parts or remove strokes
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →
Picture Worksheets
Chinese and English fill-in vocabulary worksheets
Open the tool →Questions about 只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯
What does 只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯 mean?
只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯 (zhǐ zhǔn zhōu guān fàng huǒ ， bù zhǔn bǎi xìng diǎn dēng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a double standard”.
How do you pronounce 只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯?
只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯 is pronounced zhǐ zhǔn zhōu guān fàng huǒ ， bù zhǔn bǎi xìng diǎn dēng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯 literally mean?
Literally, 只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯 means “Only allow officials to set fires, not allow common people to light lamps”. It is used to mean “a double standard”.
What is the Chinese definition of 只准州官放火，不准百姓点灯?
州官：一州的长官。指反动统治者自己可以胡作非为，老百姓没有正当活动的自由