Tiếng Việt · Proverb Attested

quan xa bản nha gần

🎙 Say it

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

The mandarin is far; the clerks are near — the extortion you meet is always local.

Literally: the mandarin distant, the yamen close

Examples

Quan xa bản nha gần, khổ dân là ở đấy.The mandarin is far, his clerks are near — there lies the people's misery.

Editorial example (VI sweep batch 040, illustrative)

Sources & notes

Discovered via Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Nam ngạn chích cẩm (Phạm Quang Sán, 1918). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “quan xa bản nha gần” mean?

The mandarin is far; the clerks are near — the extortion you meet is always local. Literally: the mandarin distant, the yamen close

Is “quan xa bản nha gần” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

👁 Views 0 today 0 past 7 days 0 this month 0 all time