远亲不如近邻 - yuǎn qīn bù rú jìn lín

This idiom means "A distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor". When one is in trouble or difficulty, a good neighbor tends to be more helpful than a relative far away. 

Here are some examples:

她平时和邻居们相处得很好， 所以她有困难的时候， 大家都愿意帮助她。 毕竟， 远亲不如近邻。 
Tā píng shí hé lín jū men xiāng chǔ děi hěn hǎo, suǒ yǐ tā yǒu kùn nán de shí hòu, dà jiā dōu yuàn yì bāng zhù tā. Bì jìng yuǎn qīn bù rú jìn lín 
Her relationship with neigbors is generally good, so when she is in trouble, they all tend to help her. After all, a distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor.

我工作忙， 邻居经常帮我买菜， 真是 "远亲不如近邻"。 
Wǒ gōng zuò máng, lín jū jīng cháng bāng wǒ mǎi cài, zhēn shi "yuǎn qīn bù rú jìn lín".
When I am busy with work, my neigbors often buy me food. Really, "a  distant relative is not as good as a near neighbor".

Please listen to the dialogue where this idiom is used. If you don't understand you can find the audio transcript and translation below. 



感冒了 
(Hans感冒了， 在宿舍里休息。 往东来看他) 
王东： Hans, 今天你觉得怎么样， 还发烧吗？ 
Hans: 好多了， 吃了感冒药， 已经不发烧了。 谢谢。 
王东： 胃口好些了吗？ 
Hans: 昨天我很难受， 不想吃东西。 幸好你送来了稀饭和咸菜， 我吃了很舒服。 
王东： 感冒的病人不能吃油腻的食物， 只能吃清淡的东西。 
Hans: 这两天生病， 我很想家， 象我的父母， 可是他们在美国， 非常感谢你对我的照顾， 让我懂得了什么是"远亲不如近邻"。 
王东： 哦， 没什么， 你很快就会好了。 看， 今天我给你带了小笼包子！ 尝一个吧！ 
Hans: 真香啊！ 我正好有点儿饿了。 
王东：我看你的感冒快好了， 一说到吃， 你挺有精神的。 
Hans: 哈哈！ 

Gǎn mào le 
(Hans gǎn mào le zài sù shè lǐ xiū xí. Wǎng dōng lái kàn tā) 
Wáng Dōng: Hans, jīntiān nǐ juédé zěnme yàng, hái fāshāo ma? Hans: Hǎoduōle, chīle gǎnmào yào, yǐjīng bù fāshāole. Xièxiè.
Wáng Dōng: Wèikǒu hǎoxiēle ma? 
Hans: Zuótiān wǒ hěn nánshòu, bùxiǎng chī dōngxī. Xìnghǎo nǐ sòng láile xīfàn hé xiáncài, wǒ chīle hěn shūfú. 
Wáng Dōng: Gǎnmào de bìngrén bùnéng chī yóunì de shíwù, zhǐ néng chī qīngdàn de dōngxī. 
Hans: Zhè liǎng tiān shēngbìng, wǒ hěn xiǎng jiā, xiàng wǒ de fùmǔ, kěshì tāmen zài měiguó, fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ duì wǒ de zhàogù, ràng wǒ dǒngdéliǎo shénme shì"yuǎnqīn bùrú jìnlín".
Wáng Dōng: Ó, méishénme, nǐ hěn kuài jiù huì hǎole. Kàn, jīntiān wǒ gěi nǐ dàile xiǎo lóng bāozi! Cháng yīgè ba! 
Hans: Zhēnxiāng a! Wǒ zhènghǎo yǒudiǎn er èle. Wáng dōng: Wǒ kàn nǐ de gǎnmào kuài hǎole, yī shuō dào chī, nǐ tǐng yǒu jīngshén de. 
Hans: Hāhā! 

Being Ill
(Hans is ill. He is in the dorm. Wang Dong comes to see him.) 
Wang Dong: Hans, how do you feel, do you still have a fever today? 
Hans: I am much better. I've taken pills and have no fever anymore. Thanks. 
Wang Dong: Has your appetite improved? 
Hans: Yesterday, I felt uncomfortable and did not want to eat. Fortunately, you brought porridge and pickles, after eating them my condition has improved. 
Wang Dong: A patient with cold should not eat greasy food, only something light. 
Hans: Within those two days I missed home, my parents, but they are in the United States. Thank you very much for taking care of me, so I know what is "distant neighbor is better than a near neigbor". 
Wang Dong: Oh, that is alright, you will soon get better. Look, today I have brought you some steamed dumplings! Try them! 
Hans: Ah, they smell really good! I'm just a little hungry. 
Wang Dong: I see you are getting better quickly. When it comes to eating, you are quite enthusiastic. 
Hans: Haha!