只許州官放火，不許百姓點燈

See also: 只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯

Chinese

FWOTD – 7 August 2021

	only; merely; just only; merely; just; but	to allow; to permit; to praise to allow; to permit; to praise; surname		to set on fire, specifically to commit arson		to not allow; can't	hundred surnames; the common people; the masses hundred surnames; the common people; the masses; ordinary citizens; all kinds of government officials	to light a lamp
trad. (只許州官放火，不許百姓點燈)	只	許	州官	放火	，	不許	百姓	點燈
simp. (只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯)	只	许	州官	放火	，	不许	百姓	点灯
Literally: “to only allow the prefectural official to set fires, but not allow the common citizens to light their lamps”.

Etymology

From a story recorded by the Song poet Lu You.

田登作郡，自諱其名，觸者必怒，吏卒多被榜笞。於是舉州皆謂「燈」為「火」。上元放燈，許人入州治遊觀。吏人遂書榜揭於市曰：「本州依例放火三日。」 [MSC, trad.]

田登作郡，自讳其名，触者必怒，吏卒多被榜笞。于是举州皆谓「灯」为「火」。上元放灯，许人入州治游观。吏人遂书榜揭于市曰：「本州依例放火三日。」 [MSC, simp.]

From: Lu You, Notes of Laoxue'an（老學庵筆記）

Tiándēng zuò jùn, zì huì qí míng, chù zhě bì nù, lì zú duō bèi bǎngchī. Yúshì jǔ zhōu jiē wèi “dēng” wèi “huǒ”. Shàngyuán fàng dēng, xǔ rén rù zhōuzhì yóu guān. Lìrén suì shū bǎng jiē yú shì yuē: “Běn zhōu yī lì fànghuǒ sān rì.” [Pinyin]

There was a prefectural governor (of Changzhou) called Tian Deng who hated people calling his name. Whenever people did that, he always got angry, and his subordinates doing that often got beaten up or caned. As a result, people of the prefecture referred "lanterns" as "fire" (because the word for "lanterns" (燈) is pronounced the same as his name "登" (dēng)). One year during the Lantern Festival, the prefectural government allowed people outside it to visit the prefectural seat. Then the officials there published a notice and posted it at the market, saying that they would “set fire” (set up lanterns) for 3 days according to tradition.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): zhǐ xǔ zhōuguān fànghuǒ, bùxǔ bǎixìng diǎndēng

(Zhuyin): ㄓˇ ㄒㄩˇ ㄓㄡㄍㄨㄢㄈㄤˋ ㄏㄨㄛˇ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄩˇ ㄅㄞˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄉㄥ
Cantonese (Jyutping): zi² heoi² zau¹ gun¹ fong³ fo², bat¹ heoi² baak³ sing³ dim² dang¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zhǐ xǔ zhōuguān fànghuǒ, bùxǔ bǎixìng diǎndēng [Phonetic: zhíxǔzhōuguānfànghuǒ,bùxúbǎixìngdiǎndēng]
  - Zhuyin: ㄓˇ ㄒㄩˇ ㄓㄡㄍㄨㄢㄈㄤˋ ㄏㄨㄛˇ , ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄩˇ ㄅㄞˇ ㄒㄧㄥˋ ㄉㄧㄢˇ ㄉㄥ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jhǐh syǔ jhouguan fànghuǒ, bùsyǔ bǎisìng diǎndeng
  - Wade–Giles: chih³ hsü³ chou¹-kuan¹ fang⁴-huo³, pu⁴-hsü³ pai³-hsing⁴ tien³-têng¹
  - Yale: jř syǔ jōu-gwān fàng-hwǒ-, bù-syǔ bǎi-syìng dyǎn-dēng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jyy sheu jouguan fanqhuoo, busheu baeshinq deandeng
  - Palladius: чжи сюй чжоугуань фанхо, бусюй байсин дяньдэн (čži sjuj čžouguanʹ fanxo, busjuj bajsin djanʹdɛn)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ɕy²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʈ͡ʂoʊ̯⁵⁵ ku̯än⁵⁵ fɑŋ⁵¹ xu̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹ ɕy²¹⁴⁻³⁵ paɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ɕiŋ⁵¹ ti̯ɛn²¹⁴⁻²¹ tɤŋ⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: zi² heoi² zau¹ gun¹ fong³ fo², bat¹ heoi² baak³ sing³ dim² dang¹
  - Yale: jí héui jāu gūn fong fó, bāt héui baak sing dím dāng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzi² hoey² dzau¹ gun¹ fong³ fo², bat⁷ hoey² baak⁸ sing³ dim² dang¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: ji² hêu² zeo¹ gun¹ fong³ fo², bed¹ hêu² bag³ xing³ dim² deng¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː³⁵ hɵy̯³⁵ t͡sɐu̯⁵⁵ kuːn⁵⁵ fɔːŋ³³ fɔː³⁵ pɐt̚⁵ hɵy̯³⁵ paːk̚³ sɪŋ³³ tiːm³⁵ tɐŋ⁵⁵/

Idiom

只許州官放火，不許百姓點燈

(figurative) The authorities can do what they like, but the common people are not allowed the slightest bit of freedom (Used in criticism of double standards of those with power)
- 這種刻意的強加，赤裸裸，昭然若揭，簡直就是只許州官放火，不許百姓點燈。 [MSC, trad.]
  这种刻意的强加，赤裸裸，昭然若揭，简直就是只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 2005, 馬浩, 《決策就是拍腦袋》, page 45
  Zhè zhǒng kèyì de qiángjiā, chìluǒluǒ, zhāoránruòjiē, jiǎnzhí jiù shì zhǐ xǔ zhōuguān fànghuǒ, bùxǔ bǎixìng diǎndēng. [Pinyin]
  This kind of impositions, which is intentional, blatant and excessively obvious, exactly means that a boss can do whatever he/she likes but his/her subordinates should have no rights at all.
- 更有民眾貼出早前紐森進行多人室內聚會的照片，以諷刺紐森只許州官放火，不許百姓點燈的施政作派。 [MSC, trad.]
  更有民众贴出早前纽森进行多人室内聚会的照片，以讽刺纽森只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯的施政作派。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 2021 March 7 (UTC+8), 李佳音, 無論接種疫苗與否加州當局推雙層口罩 (California authorities suggested wearing two masks at once whether a person was vaccinated or not)
  Gèng yǒu mínzhòng tiē chū zǎoqián Niǔsēn jìnxíng duōrén shìnèi jùhuì de zhàopiàn, yǐ fěngcì Niǔsēn zhǐ xǔ zhōuguān fànghuǒ, bùxǔ bǎixìng diǎndēng de shīzhèng zuòpài. [Pinyin]
  There was even someone who posted a photo in which Newsom previously attended an indoor party in order to satirize his administrative manner since he can do whatever he likes but the common people are not allowed the slightest bit of freedom.