天高皇帝远 (tiān gāo huáng dì yuǎn)

天高皇帝远

(tiān gāo huáng dì yuǎn)
English Translation:“The sky is high and the emperor is far away.”

Meaning:
An alternative translation is “The emperor is as far away as the sky.” Essentially, this means that the authority figure is far away enough that the rules no longer apply, and one can act freely.

Example:
在小镇上，人们不太受政府管制，天高皇帝远。
(In the small town, people are not closely controlled by the government—“the sky is high and the emperor is far away.”)

Source: Hello Mandarin