What is the saying that I would rather live in front of the yamen than behind the yamen?

Yamen

Pinyin: yá mén

Phonetic: ㄧㄚˊ ㄇㄣˊ

Entry: Yamen (yamen)

Detailed explanation:

◎ Yamen yámen

The place where officials worked in the old days. "Book of the Northern Qi·Biography of Song Shiliang": "Every day the yamen are quiet, and there are no lawsuits." Ma Yu of the Ming Dynasty's "Ma's Rizhao·Pai forehead": "During the Zhengtong period, the capital built yamen, and the plaques on the yamen were all written by Cheng Nanyun. "Li Yu of the Qing Dynasty's "Jade Scratching the Head·Treacherous Picture": "I just hope to get a few letters of recommendation and go to various yamen." Lu Xun's "Morning Blossoms Picked at Dusk·Fan Ainong": "The characters in the yamen come in commoners. It will probably take less than ten days to change into a leather robe, and the weather is not cold yet."

It is a metaphor for a bureaucracy. Ba Jin's "About "Dragon, Tiger, Dog" (1): "The yamen of the agency is not grand, and there are not many officials, but they have authority." Zhang Shishan, "Han Baoshan" Five: "Mom! Let's go! This is The yamen is not for the common people!"

The gate of the Tang Dynasty palace. "The Biography of Zhang Zhongfang in the Old Book of Tang Dynasty": "Ma Yuanzhi, the envoy of the Hemen Gate, opened the Xuanzheng Gate at an angle and announced: 'There is an edict to summon Zuo Sanqi to serve Zhang Zhongfang.' When Zhongfang left his post, Yuanzhi announced: 'Zhongfang Ke Jing Zhaoyin'Then the Yamen opened to call for battle."