Immortalized by the
莼鲈之思 ('longing for water shield and perch') story in 《
世说新语·
识鉴》: during the Western Jin, official
张翰 (Zhang Han) was serving in Luoyang when an autumn wind reminded him of his hometown Wu's water shield soup and perch sashimi — he resigned on the spot and went home. The phrase became a literary byword for homesickness and for leaving office to return to rural life.
