山高皇帝远山高皇帝遠山高皇帝遠

the mountains are high and the emperor far away

Saying俗语俗語

Proverb谚语諺語 · In everyday use

Meaning: Far from the centre, orders from above hardly reach; so locals do as they please. Often used wryly, as 'when the cat's away'.

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Simplified: 山高皇帝远
Traditional (Taiwan): 山高皇帝遠
Pinyin: shāngāohuángdìyuǎn
Bopomofo: ㄕㄢㄍㄠㄏㄨㄤˊ ㄉㄧˋ ㄩㄢˇ

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