This sentence comes from the story of orange in the south and orange in the north in Yan Zi's Spring and Autumn Annals. "Born in Huainan is orange, born in Huaibei is orange. Their leaves are similar to those of their disciples, but they have different tastes. What's that? The soil and water are different. "
There are oranges in Huainan, which are big and sweet. Once transplanted to Huaibei, it becomes a bitter orange, sour and small, but with the same leaves. Why? Because the water and soil conditions are different.
Extended data:
Brief introduction to the story of "orange in the south and orange in the north";
Yan Zi, a doctor of the State of Qi, was sent to Chu. The king of Chu wanted to Doby him and deliberately brought a prisoner from the hall. The king of Chu asked: What crime did this man commit? A: A Qi national committed theft. The king of Chu said to Yan Zi: Do you Qi people like stealing? Yan Zi replied: There are oranges in Huainan, which are big and sweet. Once transplanted to Huaibei, they become bitter oranges, small and sour. Why? Because the water and soil conditions are different. This man grew up in the state of Qi, and never stole anything. When he arrived in Chu, he stole it. Does the soil and water of Chu make people like stealing? Suggest that Chu's atmosphere is not good.
The king of Chu is very clever. He wants to humiliate Yan Zi, who is famous for his eloquence. He doesn't think it's a disgrace to himself, who lifted a rock and dropped it on his own foot. Later, "orange in south and orange in north" became an idiom. People use it to describe the influence of environment on things. In modern Chinese, it seems to be used in a slightly derogatory place to describe something "alienated" or "deteriorated" because of the change of environment.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Nanju Beizhi