和尚打傘——無法無天

Chinese
 
preceptor; high priest; head monk; Buddhist monks in general
 to use or to open an umbrella no respect for law and order; unruly
trad. (和尚打傘——無法無天) 和尚 打傘 —— 無法無天
simp. (和尚打伞——无法无天) 和尚 打伞 —— 无法无天

Etymology

Literally: (like a) monk holding up an umbrella ― no (respect for) law[notes 1] and order[notes 2]. A Chinese pun for lawless and hairless.

Pronunciation

Idiom

和尚打傘——無法無天

  1. (xiehouyu) no respect for law and order; unruly

Notes
  1. Buddhist monks are bald. In other words, they have no hair. The Mandarin pronunciation for "hair" is fǎ (髮 as in 頭髮), which is homophonous with the word for "law" (法 as in 法紀). Therefore, wúfǎ is a play on words; it can mean either 無髮 ("no hair") or 無法 ("no law"). The Cantonese pronunciation for 無髮 and 無法 are also the same.
  2. An umbrella blocks the sky. The Mandarin word for "sky" (tiān, 天) is also used in the compound for "heavenly justice" (tiānlǐ, 天理). Therefore, wútiān (無天, "no sky") reminds one of the phrase wú tiānlǐ (無天理, "no justice").
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