Guǎn de sān céng mén lǐ; guǎnbude sān céng mén wài.

管得三層門裡, 管不得三層門外。

Lit [One should only] care about affairs within [one's] family, not those outside of it.

Note [Cf. Jīn Píng Méi (JPM), chap. 7; note: sān céng mén, (lit) “three layers of doors”; in traditional China, well-to-do extended families usually had three parallel rows of buildings within the walls of the compounds of their homes.]

Topics FAMILIES JPM OUTSIDERS PRIVACY sān_céng_mén