刑不上大夫，禮不下庶人

Chinese

		punishment	not; no	up; on; on top up; on; on top; upon; first; previous or last; upper; higher; above; previous; to climb; to go into; to go up	(a title of aristocrat in the Ancient China)		gift; propriety; rite	not; no	under; next; lower under; next; lower; below; underneath; down(wards); to go down; latter	common people; commoner
trad. (刑不上大夫，禮不下庶人)		刑	不	上	大夫	，	禮	不	下	庶人
simp. (刑不上大夫，礼不下庶人)		刑	不	上	大夫	，	礼	不	下	庶人
Literally: “Corporal punishment does not go up to senior officers, and courtesy does not go down to commoners.”

Etymology

From the Book of Rites, Book 1 (《禮記·曲禮上》):

國君撫式，大夫下之。大夫撫式，士下之。禮不下庶人，刑不上大夫。刑人不在君側。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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国君抚式，大夫下之。大夫抚式，士下之。礼不下庶人，刑不上大夫。刑人不在君侧。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Guójūn fǔ shì, dàfū xià zhī. Dàfū fǔ shì, shì xià zhī. Lǐ bù xià shùrén, xíng bù shàng dàfū. Xíng rén bù zài jūn cè. [Pinyin]

Where the ruler of a state lays hold of the cross-bar, and bends forward to it, a great officer will descend from his carriage. Where a great officer lays bold of the bar and bends forward, another officer will descend. The rules of ceremony do not go down to the common people. The penal statutes do not go up to great officers. Men who have suffered punishment should not (be allowed to) be by the side of the ruler.

The original meaning of the quote is disputed.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xíng bù shàng dàfū, lǐ bù xià shùrén

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄤˋ ㄉㄚˋ ㄈㄨ , ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄕㄨˋ ㄖㄣˊ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xíng bù shàng dàfū, lǐ bù xià shùrén [Phonetic: xíng bú shàng dàfū, lǐ bú xià shùrén]
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄥˊ ㄅㄨˋ ㄕㄤˋ ㄉㄚˋ ㄈㄨ , ㄌㄧˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄒㄧㄚˋ ㄕㄨˋ ㄖㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: síng bù shàng dàfu, lǐ bù sià shùrén
    • Wade–Giles: hsing² pu⁴ shang⁴ ta⁴-fu¹, li³ pu⁴ hsia⁴ shu⁴-jên²
    • Yale: syíng bù shàng dà-fū-, lǐ bù syà shù-rén
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyng bu shanq dahfu, lii bu shiah shuhren
    • Palladius: син бу шан дафу, ли бу ся шужэнь (sin bu šan dafu, li bu sja šužɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiŋ³⁵ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ʂɑŋ⁵¹⁻⁵³ tä⁵¹ fu⁵⁵ li²¹⁴⁻²¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ ɕi̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ ʂu⁵¹ ʐən³⁵/

Proverb

刑不上大夫，禮不下庶人

1. People are not equal before the law.