After Emperor Wu of the Western Jin Dynasty died, the princes fought for power, sparking the sixteen-year "War of the Eight Princes" that ravaged the Central Plains, crippled the kingdom, and invited invasions by the Xiongnu and Xianbei from the northwest. The dynasty collapsed under internal strife and external threats, plunging China into a long era of north-south division.
In 317 AD, Sima Rui, with the combined support of northern and southern aristocratic clans, finally established the Eastern Jin dynasty south of the Yangtze River. Yet the imperial court showed no ambition to reclaim lost territories.
During the Western Jin Dynasty, a group of patriotic scholar-officials from the north often gathered in their spare time at the New Pavilion by the riverside in the capital. There, amid the lush greenery, they would drink, compose poetry, and express their deep longing for their lost homeland.
Once, a marquis named Zhou sat in the middle, sighed deeply, and said, "The scenery around hasn't changed, yet it's no longer the unified land of old. Looking around, the mountains and rivers seem different from before!"
All the renowned scholars present were deeply moved, their eyes meeting as tears streamed down their faces.
Only Prime Minister Wang Dao was the exception. His face turned deeply sorrowful, and he said with emotion:
"We should unite our efforts, assist the royal house, defeat the enemy, and reclaim the lost northern territories—why then do we merely weep at each other like the criminals of Chu from years past?"
These words filled the crowd with shame, yet also stirred the patriotic spirit of the scholar-officials.
Later, the idiom "Weeping at the New Pavilion" came to describe a longing for one's homeland coupled with a sense of helplessness.
Source: *A New Account of the Tales of the World*, Chapter "Speech and Conversation"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "新亭对泣" came to describe a longing for one's homeland coupled with a sense of helplessness.