Despise one’s father for not being Li Gang

恨爹不成刚 (hèn dié bù chéng gāng): Despise one’s father for not being [Li] Gang

This phrase sounds almost the same as the Chinese idiom, “despise iron for not being steel” (恨铁不成钢 hèn tiě bù chéng gāng). That idiom is used to express disapproval of someone’s lack of progression and a hope that they will improve.

The variant, “despise one’s father for not being [Li] Gang,” refers to the Li Gang incident in which a young driver attempted to shirk responsibility for killing a pedestrian by invoking the government position of his father. The phrase is used to ask rhetorically, "Why was I not born to a privileged family?" "Why can't I escape the legal consequences of my actions?"

此成语是网友根据2010年热门事件“李刚门”而创造的，语句模仿自成语“恨铁不成钢”。 　　

刚：指李刚，制造河北大学车祸事件的李启铭的父亲，据传李刚是保定市某公安分局副局长，李启铭在肇事后，说了一句“我爸是李刚”，此语迅速在网上蹿红。 　　

释义：语句意思一目了然，大意为慨叹为什么自己的父亲不是特权阶层，不能给自己提供保护，触犯了法律也可以通过种种手段逃避追究。

The road sign reads, "Friends, slow down a bit; your father is not Li Gang."