山高皇帝远

山高皇帝远

Literally means:

the mountain is high and the emperor far away

Actually means:

in remote areas laws and decrees are not strictly enforce

It means in remote areas government laws and decrees are not strictly enforced or that nobody is present to supervise or monitor the staff when the person in charge is away. It often indicates that, without the control or supervision of their superiors pcople do things at will, even do things that are against the rules or policies.

比喻处在偏远的地方，政府管不到，或主管的人不在眼前，没有人监管或约束。多用来指由于没有上级的管理或管束，下面的人便任意行事，甚至做出违反规定或制度的事情。