天高皇帝远 tiān gāo huáng dì yuǎn

place far from power; do as one pleases

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. fig. remote places are beyond the reach of the central government
  2. 2. lit. the sky is high and the emperor is far away (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
天 tiān HSK 1
day; sky; heaven
高 gāo HSK 1
high; tall; above average
皇 huáng HSK 6
emperor; surname Huang; old variant of 惶huáng
帝 dì HSK 6
emperor
远 yuǎn HSK 2
far; distant; remote