天高皇帝遠 tiān gāo huáng dì yuǎn

remote place beyond control; 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
day; sky; heaven
high; tall; above average
emperor; surname Huang; old variant of huáng
emperor
far; distant; remote