During the late Dading era of the Jin Dynasty, a brilliant scholar named Zhao Zhi, descendant of the Liao chancellor Siwen, failed the imperial exams and settled south of Yan City to teach, vowing never to enter officialdom.
During the Jin Dynasty's Mingchang era (Emperor Zhangzong's reign), the emperor was enjoying a spring outing south of Yan City when he heard distant zither music and reading aloud. Surprised to find such refined activities in the wilderness, he traced the sounds to Zhao Zhi's dwelling. The simple, clean room had poems covering its white walls. The emperor recited them, reluctant to leave for a long time. Recognizing the poet's extraordinary aspirations from the verses, he summoned Zhao Zhi to his temporary palace and offered him an official post. Zhao Zhi declined, saying, "My heart lies among the vast forests and lush meadows; golden saddles and jade bridles—the life of wealth and honor—are not my desire. Besides, with a wise and enlightened emperor on the throne, surely he would allow Xu You and Chao Fu to remain as recluses beyond the mundane world!"
Emperor Zhangzong, even more astonished, granted his request
"Longlin Fengcao" — dense forests and lush wild grass, referring to the wilderness where beasts dwell, and also the retreat of recluses.
Source: *History of Jin*, "Biography of Zhao Zhi"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "长林丰草" came to describe how one person's strength cannot reverse a crumbling situation.