yuǎn qīn bù rú jìn lín
A relative afar is less use than a close neighbor (idiom). Take whatever help is on hand, even from strangers.
远
yuǎn
far
亲
qīn
parent
不
bù
no; not so
如
rú
as
近
jìn
near
邻
lín
variant of 鄰|邻[lin2]