quan quỉ quyệt, dân thì thế
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Officials scheme, the people dodge — governance as a contest of tricks and evasions.
Literally: mandarins wily, the people timely
Sources & notes
Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.
Common questions
What does “quan quỉ quyệt, dân thì thế” mean?
Officials scheme, the people dodge — governance as a contest of tricks and evasions. Literally: mandarins wily, the people timely
Is “quan quỉ quyệt, dân thì thế” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.