Heaven is high and the emperor is far away is a Chinese proverb thought to have originated from Zhejiang during the Yuan dynasty.[1] Both historically and in contemporary China, the proverb has a variety of uses, for example: (1) in reference to local government autonomy, (2) in reference to corruption of local officials or lawlessness, or (3) in reference to minor offenses committed outside the oversight of authorities.
Heaven is high and the emperor is far away is a Chinese proverb thought to have originated from Zhejiang during the Yuan dynasty.
The saying has multiple meanings. In one traditional usage, it described unscrupulous or predatory behavior of local authorities, who being far away from the imperial court, were hard to control or who could evade being caught.[2]
The Chinese Central Government in Beijing exercised little direct oversight on the affairs of lower-level governments, allowing much regional autonomy in the country.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Contemporary usage could refer to something minor such as walking on the grass when no one is watching, ignoring a command because the father is far away, cutting timber when not permitted. It can also still be used to describe a lawless place far from the authorities[8] and in reference to corruption.
The original variation, "the mountains are high, and the emperor is far away", is also still heard .[9]
In Russian, there exists a directly similar proverb: до бога высоко, до царя далеко do boga vysoko, do czarya daleko, with a usually omitted rhyming continuation of а до меня близко - кланяйся мне низко a do menya blizko - klanyaysa mne nizko, which can be translated as "God is high, and the czar is far away (while I am near, so bow deeply to me)". In its short form, it is typically used to say there is no hope for external aid; while the full form describes lower echelons of bureaucracy abusing their immediate power while the authority meant to keep them in check is distant or otherwise unable to intervene.
Also, Бог высок и царь очень далёк (Bog vysok i tsar' dalyok, "God is on high and the tsar is very far away").
Another proverb with a similar meaning is жалует царь, да не жалует псарь zhaluyet czar da ne zhaluyet psar - "One has the czar's favor, but doesn't have the kennelmaster's favor" - likewise meaning that the distant higher echelons of power have less weight than the lower ones with whom the person in question has to deal personally.