to rule the people oppressively
A Chinese idiom, R ú L á NGM ù y á ng, means like a wolf raising sheep. It comes from the biography of cruel officials in historical records.
The origin of Idioms
According to the biography of cruel officials in historical records, it is better to be a captain of Jinan than a shepherd
Idiom usage
Verb object; predicate; derogatory
to rule the people oppressively
speak tactfully but to the point - tán yán wēi zhòng
draw from one to make good the deficits of another - yì bǐ zhù cǐ