qiè​gōu​qiè​guó

to steal a hook is to be executed, to steal a country is to be made a lord

窃钩窃国 竊鉤竊國 qiè​gōu​qiè​guó
to steal a hook is to be executed, to steal a country is to be made a lord
Classic expression used to criticize the hypocrisy and injustice of a legal system where small crimes are punished severely while grand criminals gain power; implies that reward and punishment are disconnected from the scale of the deed or that the law is applied inconsistently