Zhuge Liang, styled Kongming, was a renowned statesman and military strategist of the Three Kingdoms period. In his youth, he lived in seclusion at Longzhong, dividing his time between farming and studying, and forming close bonds with local scholars like Cui Zhouping, Shi Guangyuan, and Xu Shu.
At that time, Liu Bei was relying on Liu Biao, the governor of Jingzhou, and had stationed a small force at Xinye, his power extremely weak. He knew that to expand his political and military strength, he needed the guidance of a wise strategist.
After arriving in Xinye, Liu Bei soon gained Xu Shu as his strategist and defeated the invading Cao army. However, Cao Cao tricked Xu Shu's mother into his camp, forcing Xu Shu to leave Liu Bei. Before departing, Xu Shu recommended Zhuge Liang to Liu Bei.
Liu Bei had long heard of Zhuge Liang's extraordinary talents, known as the "Sleeping Dragon," and so he made three visits to his thatched cottage, finally persuading Zhuge Liang to come out of seclusion and assist him, appointing him as his military advisor.
Grateful for Liu Bei's respect and trust, Zhuge Liang immediately helped him expand his army upon arrival, recruiting homeless drifters from the Jingzhou region and training them rigorously, swelling Liu Bei's forces from a few thousand to tens of thousands in no time.
From then on, Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang's relationship grew closer and more intimate. When Liu Bei's sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei saw this, they became displeased and made some grumbling remarks. Liu Bei explained to them, "Having Kongming is like a fish finding water. You two must not speak such words again."
Guan Yu and Zhang Fei fell silent, but doubts about Zhuge Liang's abilities lingered in their hearts. It was only after Zhuge Liang devised a brilliant strategy to crush Cao Cao's army that the two warriors finally expressed genuine admiration for him.
Later, the idiom "Like a Fish in Water" came to describe finding someone who truly matches your heart, or being in a perfectly suitable environment.
Source: *Records of the Three Kingdoms*, "Biography of Zhuge Liang"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "如鱼得水" came to describe finding someone who truly matches your heart, or being in a perfectly suitable environment.