far away across mountains and rivers
Literary or poetic expression emphasizing great distance and separation by natural barriers. Often used in classical or formal contexts.
Thinking of a friend, separated by vast mountains and rivers.
The news arrived across the great distance of mountains and rivers.
遠方 is a common, neutral word for 'distant place', while 山川万里 is a literary, evocative phrase emphasizing the vastness of the journey.
A four-character compound (yojijukugo) combining 山川 (mountains and rivers) and 万里 (ten thousand ri, i.e., a great distance). The exact origin is uncertain, but it follows classical Chinese poetic patterns for expressing vast separation.