During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the renowned scholar Yin Hao was appointed Governor of Yangzhou. Shortly after taking office, he invited the famous scholar Gu Yue from Wuxi to serve as his assistant. Since Yin Hao had lived in seclusion for a long time, he was unfamiliar with official duties. Recognizing Gu Yue's exceptional talent, Yin Hao entrusted him with all matters of the prefecture, both big and small.
As a result, Gu Yue was entrusted with an important role and threw himself into his work wholeheartedly. Day and night, he labored tirelessly until his hair turned white and his back began to stoop. Yin Hao, moved by compassion, urged him, "You must rest and take care of yourself." But Gu Yue paid no heed, pressing on with unwavering dedication.
Yin Hao was a close friend of Sima Yu, the Prince of Kuaiji, and often visited his residence. Gu Yue also frequently had the chance to meet Sima Yu there.
On one occasion, after completing official business in Kuaiji, Gu Yue made a special trip to visit Sima Yu.
Gu Yue and Sima Yu were born in the same year, but while Sima Yu, then just over thirty, enjoyed a life of luxury that left him with a ruddy complexion and jet-black hair, Gu Yue had aged prematurely, his head already covered in white.
Sima Yu asked in surprise, "We are the same age, so why has your hair turned white first?"
Gu Yue smiled and replied, 'You, sir, are like a sturdy pine or cypress, flourishing even after frost; I, however, am like a fragile willow, withering before autumn even arrives. Each of us has a different nature—what can be done about it?' Sima Yu, impressed by Gu Yue's humility and wit, and aware of his diligent work, soon promoted him to Left Chancellor. This gave rise to the idiom "withering before autumn," used to describe someone of frail constitution who ages prematurely.
Source: *A New Account of the Tales of the World*, Chapter "Speech and Conversation"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "望秋先零" came to describe how someone of frail constitution who ages prematurely.