吴牛喘月 — “Wu ox gasps at the moon”

During the Jin Dynasty, there was an official named Man Fen, who was both learned and humble. Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, highly esteemed him and often summoned him to discuss state affairs. However, Man Fen grew up in the warm southern regions and had an intense fear of the cold, especially during winter, when he dreaded the northwest wind like a fierce tiger. As Luoyang, the capital, was located in the north with harsh and prolonged winters, Man Fen often suffered greatly.

One day, Emperor Wu summoned Man Fen. Knowing his aversion to cold, the emperor ordered a sturdy screen to be placed under the north window. This screen was made of glazed glass (琉璃), which made it appear like an empty frame, suggesting that wind could easily blow through.

Man Fen, bracing against what he perceived as intense cold, finally managed to enter the palace. After Emperor Wu granted him a seat, a servant placed a chair near the north window. Man Fen looked at the chair, then at the window, listening to the sound of the wind hitting the windowpane. A shiver immediately ran through him, and he began to tremble. He stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. To sit would mean facing the cold wind; not to sit would be disrespectful to the Emperor.

Emperor Wu noticed Man Fen's dilemma and laughed, saying, "Go ahead and sit down; that's a glazed screen, it blocks the wind even better." Man Fen finally felt relieved but also quite embarrassed. He then explained with a self-deprecating smile, "I am like an ox from the Wu region, overly suspicious, to the point of gasping at the moon out of fear." This referred to the idiom 'Wu Niu Chuan Yue', describing how an ox from the hot Wu region would gasp at the sight of the moon, mistakenly believing it to be the sun and fearing the intense heat.