📖 Meaning
This idiom metaphorically expresses a deep yearning for one's hometown, inspired by nostalgia for native delicacies. It captures the feeling of wanting to leave behind an official career far from home and return to one's roots. The water-shield soup and sliced perch are local dishes of the Wu region that triggered homesickness.
📜 Origin Story
During the Western Jin Dynasty, Zhang Han, a native of Wu (modern Suzhou area), was serving as an official in the capital at Luoyang. One autumn day, upon seeing the rising wind, he suddenly recalled the gū vegetable, water-shield soup, and sliced perch of his hometown. He remarked that a person of true worth should follow their heart and enjoy life's pleasures rather than cling to fame and position in a distant land. He thereupon resigned his post and returned to Wu. The phrase thus became an enduring symbol of homesickness and the desire to return home.
💡 Example Usage
秋风渐起，久居异乡的他顿生莼羹鲈脍之思，遂辞官归乡。
As the autumn wind began to rise, he, having long lived in a distant land, was suddenly seized by a longing for the flavors of home, and so he resigned his post and returned.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 莼羹鲈脍
- Pinyin: chún gēng lú kuài
- Literal Translation: water-shield soup, sliced perch
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4