petty king; local bandit chief; self-proclaimed warlord
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
petty king; local bandit chief; self-proclaimed ruler
archaicOriginally used to describe bandit leaders who ruled over a region, often in a mountainous or rural area. Now used metaphorically to describe anyone who acts like a local tyrant or self-styled boss.
Zài在
nà那
bīng兵
huāng荒
mǎ马
luàn乱
de的
nián年
dài代
，
shān山
lǐ里
chū出
le了
ge个
cǎo草
tóu头
wáng王
。
During that chaotic wartime, a local bandit chief emerged in the mountains.
Tā他
bù不
guò过
shì是
ge个
gōng公
sī司
lǐ里
de的
xiǎo小
jīng经
lǐ理
，
què却
bǎi摆
chū出
yī一
fù副
cǎo草
tóu头
wáng王
de的
jià架
shì势
。
He's just a minor manager in the company, but he puts on the airs of a petty king.
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Nà那
ge个
jūn军
fá阀
zài在
dì地
fāng方
shàng上
jiù就
shì是
ge个
cǎo草
tóu头
wáng王
，
gēn根
běn本
bù不
tīng听
zhōng中
yāng央
zhèng政
fǔ府
de的
mìng命
lìng令
。
That warlord is just a self-proclaimed king in the region, completely ignoring the central government's orders.