铁打的衙门，流水的官

Traditional form:

鐵打的衙門，流水的官

Pinyin (reading):

tiědǎdeyámen,liúshuǐdeguān

Definitions:

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

Characters:

• 铁 - iron; strong, solid, firm
• 打 - to attack, to beat, to hit, to strike
• 的 - aim, goal; of; possessive particle; -self suffix
• 衙 - public office; official residence
• 门 - gate, door, entrance, opening
• 流 - to flow, to drift, to circulate; class
• 水 - water, liquid, lotion, juice
• 的 - aim, goal; of; possessive particle; -self suffix
• 官 - official, public servant

Traditional characters:

• 鐵 - iron; strong, solid, firm
• 打 - to attack, to beat, to hit, to strike
• 的 - aim, goal; of; possessive particle; -self suffix
• 衙 - public office; official residence
• 門 - gate, door, entrance, opening
• 流 - to flow, to drift, to circulate; class
• 水 - water, liquid, lotion, juice
• 的 - aim, goal; of; possessive particle; -self suffix
• 官 - official, public servant