During the Warring States period, the philosopher and writer Zhuangzi once found his family so destitute that the pot was empty, so he went to the Marquis of Jianhe to borrow grain. The Marquis replied, "I'll soon collect taxes from my fiefdom, and then I'll lend you three hundred pieces of gold—will that do?" Zhuangzi's face darkened as he said, "Yesterday, as I was coming here, I heard a voice calling from the road. Turning around, I saw a crucian carp in a dried-up wheel rut. I asked it, 'What are you doing here?' The fish replied, 'I am a minister of the Eastern Sea. Can you spare a ladle of water to save my life?' I answered, 'I'm about to travel south to the kings of Wu and Yue, and I'll divert the entire Western River to welcome you—will that do?' The fish flushed with anger and said, 'I've lost my element and have nowhere to go. A single ladle of water would keep me alive. If you talk like that, you might as well take me to a dried-fish market!'" With this story, Zhuangzi made it clear that empty promises are worthless when immediate help is needed.
Supervisor of the River refused to lend grain to Zhuangzi but pretended to be generous, saying, "After I collect the local taxes, I will lend you three hundred gold pieces."
Zhuangzi thought to himself, "This man is truly cunning. If you want to lend it, lend it; if not, just say no. Why use such sweet words!" So he said:
When I visited your residence yesterday, I heard cries for help along the way. Turning back, I saw a dying crucian carp struggling in a dry wheel rut.
I asked the carp, "What are you doing here?" The carp replied, "I am a servant of the East Sea's water tribe, and I'm about to dry up here. Can you fetch some water to save me?" I said, "Certainly. I'm heading south to Wu and Yue—I'll divert the Yangtze River to rescue you. How does that sound?" The carp retorted angrily, "I only need a bucket of water to survive! With your plan, I'll be a dried fish by the time you return from the south—just look for me at the dried fish shop!"
After finishing his story, Zhuangzi flicked his sleeves and walked away.
Later, the idiom "the shop of dried fish" came to describe extreme poverty, urgent need for relief, or a situation that has reached an irreversible dead end.
Source: *Zhuangzi*, "External Things"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "枯鱼之肆" came to describe extreme poverty, urgent need for relief, or a situation that has reached an irreversible dead end.