Heaven is high and the emperor is far away
Heaven is high and the emperor is far away is a Chinese proverb thought to have originated from Zhejiang during the Yuan dynasty.[1]
Heaven is high and the emperor is far away | |||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 天高皇帝遠 | ||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 天高皇帝远 | ||||||||||||
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Mountains are high and the emperor is far away | |||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 山高皇帝遠 | ||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 山高皇帝远 | ||||||||||||
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The Chinese Central Government in Beijing exercises little direct oversight on the affairs of lower-level governments, allowing much regional autonomy in the country.[2][3][4][5][6] The proverb has thus come to generally mean that central authorities have little influence over local affairs, and it is often used in reference to corruption.[1]
The saying, as it is considered in China, has multiple meanings. Often it involves 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, or ignoring the one-child policy. It is also used to describe a lawless place far from the authorities.[7]
The original variation, "the mountains are high and the emperor is far away", is also still heard (山高皇帝远).[8]
Russian similarity
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 power while the authority meant to keep them in check is absent or indifferent.
Also, Бог высок и царь очень далёк (Bog vysok i tsar' dalyok, "God is on high and the tsar is very far away").
References
- My China Connection" Heaven is high and the emperor is far away".
- Samovar, Larry (2009). Communication Between Cultures. Cengage. p. 70. ISBN 978-0495567448.
- Fairbrother, Gregory (2003). Toward critical patriotism: student resistance to political education in Hong Kong and China. Hong Kong University Press. p. 3. ISBN 9789622096233.
- Ringmar, Erik (2005). The mechanics of modernity in Europe and East Asia: the institutional origins of social change and stagnation. Palgrave. p. 160. ISBN 9780203338582.
- Zhao, Suisheng (2006). Debating political reform in China: rule of law vs. democratization. M.E. Sharpe. p. 24. ISBN 9780765641373.
- Haft, Jeremy (2007). All the tea in China: how to buy, sell, and make money on the mainland. Penguin. p. 49. ISBN 9781591841593.
- Kane, D. (2006). The Chinese Language: Its History and Current Usage. Tuttle Publishing. p. 175. ISBN 9780804838535. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- Dartmouth College. "Chinese Proverbs Archived 2017-05-07 at the Wayback Machine".