铁打的衙门，流水的官 tiě dǎ de yá men ， liú shuǐ de guān

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. the yamen is strong as iron, the officials flow like water (idiom)
  2. fig. government officials come and go

CHARACTERS

铁 tiě
HSK 3
iron; strong, solid, firm
打 dǎ
HSK 1
strike, hit, beat; fight; attack
的 de
HSK 1
possessive, adjectival suffix
衙 yá public office; official residence
门 men
HSK 2
gate, door, entrance, opening
流 liú
HSK 4
flow, circulate, drift; class
水 shuǐ
HSK 1
water, liquid, lotion, juice
的 de
HSK 1
possessive, adjectival suffix
官 guān
HSK 5
official, public servant