"Distant water cannot put out a nearby fire." The saying comes from the Chinese expression. If applied to the village government under tang and song dynasties, it would mean that whatever solutions they have for their dynasty will not be effective if they are not within the higher positions inside the dynasty. They are too far to be heard or understood.
This is a Chinese proverb, which mean that slow remedies can't help an emergency. This is used in village government to say that focus is important, finding the proper way to fix problems is crucial to maintain the village.
