the mountains are high and the water wide
It's a Chinese idiom. Pinyin is sh ā NY á ol ù Yu ǎ n, which means a long way. From "save filial piety and fight tiger".
The idiom comes from the wedge of Chen Yiren's "save filial piety and fight the tiger" in Yuan Dynasty: "the mountain is far away that can't be avoided."
the mountains are high and the water wide
foxes in the city walls and rats on the altars - chéng hú shè shǔ
sth. one knows well and can manage with ease - qīng chē shú lù