The oranges become Sour and bitter when transplanted to the north of the Huaihe River. It is a metaphor for the mutation of the same species due to different environmental conditions.
Idiom Pronunciation:
南橘北枳
nán jú běi zhǐ
Origin:
《晏子春秋·内篇杂下》：“橘生淮南则为橘，生于淮北则为枳，叶徒相似，其实味不同。所以然者何？水土异也。”
Story:
Yan Ying, also known as Yan Zi, was a famous politician during the Spring and Autumn Period, who assisted Duke Ling, Duke Zhuang and Duke Jing of Qi. He was a famous politician during the Spring and Autumn Period. It is said that Yan Ying was small in stature and unattractive in appearance, but he was wise and resourceful, honest in his official duties, and dared to correct the mistakes of the ruler; he was quick in nature, articulate and eloquent, and never let the country be humiliated when he was ordered to go to other countries.
The first time Yan Ying went to Chu, the king heard that Yan Ying was a good speaker and said to his advisor, “Yan Ying is famous in Qi for his eloquence. Now that he is coming to Chu, I would like to humiliate him in public, so that the Qi people will know how good we are, and to frustrate the Qi. What do you think is the best way?” The ministers thought about it and finally Zi came up with a way to humiliate Yan Ying.
When Yan Ying arrived, the king of Chu hosted a banquet. When the banquet was full of wine, the servants brought a man in bondage to the king of Chu, who asked in a pretentious manner, “What crime has this man committed?” The servant hastened to answer and said, “This man is from the state of Qi and was caught stealing from us in Chu.” The king of Chu looked back at Yan Ying and deliberately pretended to be surprised and said, “Ah, do all the people of Qi like to steal things?”
Yan Ying had already seen that the king of Chu was acting, so he stood up and said to the king of Chu without panic, “I have heard that the orange tree produces sweet oranges when it grows south of the Huai River, but if it is transplanted to the north of the Huai River, the fruit it bears will become a sour and bitter hedgehog. The taste of the fruits of the same plant is very different, why is this? This is because of the difference in soil and water! The man in the king’s palace did not steal in Qi, but he learned to steal in Chu. The king of Chu was speechless and red in the face, and finally had to laugh.
Shortly afterwards, Yan Ying was ordered to make another mission to Chu. The king of Chu still remembered that Yan Ying had embarrassed himself at the last banquet and wanted to take revenge. He knew that Yan Ying was small in stature, so he sent his men to open a door the size of a dog’s hole next to the city gate, so that when Yan Ying came, he would not open the gate but let him use the small door to humiliate him. When Yan Ying came to the gate and saw this, he knew that the king of Chu had deliberately humiliated him, so he said to the minister of Chu who came to meet him, “Only those who are on a mission to a dog country use the dog hole. The king of Chu was furious with shame. He had no choice but to open the gate and received Yan Ying with courtesy.
Yan Ying was not afraid of the danger, and with his wisdom and his unstoppable tongue, he was able to refute the king of Chu, who wanted to insult him, and defended the dignity and honor of Qi.
