Zhang Han, a man of Wu County during the Western Jin Dynasty, was known for his sharp wit and literary talent, yet he cared little for officialdom and viewed fame and fortune with indifference.
Zhang Han, a scholar from the Wu region near Lake Tai, delighted in the area's famed water shield soup and sliced perch. One day, while drinking with friends, he sighed, "Life is too short to chase fame far from home. I long for the taste of perch and water shield back in my hometown." With that, he resigned his post and returned, valuing personal contentment over official rank.
A friend, seeing how unrestrained he was, asked him, "You only care about drinking to your heart's content—don't you ever consider your future fame and career?" Zhang Han replied, "To me, those so-called honors and riches are not worth a single cup of wine before me."
One year, He Xun, the magistrate of Wukang, received an imperial summons to serve in Luoyang. As his boat passed through the Changmen Gate in Wu County, he sat in the cabin playing the zither to pass the time. Zhang Han happened to be passing by, heard the music, and boarded the boat to meet him. Though they had never met before, they felt like old friends at first sight. When Zhang Han learned that He Xun was heading to Luoyang, he was so inspired that he decided to join him on the journey.
Shortly after arriving in Luoyang, Zhang Han was summoned by Sima Jiong, the Prince of Qi who controlled the court, to serve as a minor official in the Grand Marshal's office. But witnessing the infighting among the Western Jin princes and the chaotic state of affairs, he grew deeply uneasy, realizing this was no place to linger. So he decided to return home.
One day, Zhang Han was strolling leisurely in his courtyard when an autumn breeze brought a chill, stirring memories of his hometown's water shield soup and sliced perch, overwhelming him with homesickness. He composed a poem:
When the autumn wind stirred and leaves began to fall, the emperor bestowed upon his loyal general a set of imperial gifts from the throne—a golden saddle and a jeweled bridle—as a mark of supreme favor. The general, overjoyed, immediately ordered his finest steed to be adorned with these treasures. Yet as the horse was led out through Beixia Gate, it suddenly reared, refused to move, and then bolted wildly, nearly throwing its rider. A wise old groom stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, this horse has been racing across the plains for years, covering a thousand li in a day. It knows only the open road and the wind. Now you have trapped it in gold and jewels—it feels caged, not honored." The general frowned and replied, "But these are gifts from the emperor himself! How can the horse reject such glory?" The groom shook his head and answered, "A horse does not understand imperial favor; it understands freedom. If you truly wish to honor it, let it run." The general fell silent, then ordered the saddle and bridle removed. The horse immediately calmed, lowered its head, and nuzzled his hand. Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of the General."
The waters of the Wu River are where the perch grow fat.
Three Thousand Miles, Yet No Home to Return To
Grief Unbearable, I Gaze Skyward and Mourn!
After finishing the poem, he let out a long sigh and said, "A person should live freely and at ease. How could I stay in a foreign land thousands of li away just to be an official?"
So he shed his official robes, hired a boat, and quietly slipped away from Luoyang, heading back to his hometown.
Later, the idiom "Chun Geng Lu Kuai" (water shield soup and perch sashimi) came to describe homesickness, or a lack of desire for fame and fortune in pursuit of a free and unrestrained life.
Source: *A New Account of the Tales of the World*, Chapter "Discernment"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "莼羹鲈脍" came to describe homesickness, or a lack of desire for fame and fortune in pursuit of a free and unrestrained life.