proverb · Words worth keeping
If the master gets drunk, it is honorable; if the servant gets drunk, it is a malicious disposition.
If the master gets drunk, it is honorable; if the servant gets drunk, it is a malicious disposition.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A master’s drunkenness called honourable and a servant’s called malicious exposes a contrast in judgments by status. The saying presents identical conduct receiving unequal descriptions.
What the words are saying
A critical reading can question the double standard without endorsing intoxication or the hierarchy. The precise historical intent is unverified, so satire is a possible reading rather than a proven origin. Fair evaluation should examine conduct rather than privilege alone.
Everyday example
Someone notices that a senior person’s mistake is excused while a subordinate is condemned for the same act.
When to use it
Use this as an editorial reading of the source image, with its stated limits retained.
What it does not mean
No status-based moral superiority or verified satirical origin is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 335; PDF page 35; collection label: Tibet Province of China
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Tibet Province of China