Quench one's thirst by watching plums -- Console oneself with false hopes

Among the outstanding figures of Chinese history, famous either for their intelligence or treachery, Cao Cao is one of the foremost.

Cao Cao (155-220) was the father of Emperor Wendi who was the founder of the State of Wei, one of the famous Three Kingdoms (220-280).

One hot day, Cao Cao marched out his troops under a burning sun in a mountainous area. Bewilderingly he lost the way. The journey was long and the sun was scorching. The men were terribly thirsty but couldn't find any water. The army was unable to move on any longer. The antagonism of the soldiers was growing fast. The subordinate officers were helpless to cope with the situation.

Just then Cao Cao, who was riding a horse, saw a vast expanse of bushes in the distance. Pointing at the wood with his whip, he said, Look, a big grove of plum trees! You can find a lot of plums there and eat the juicy sour fruit as much as you desire.

At the thought of the sour fruit the soldiers' mouths became wet with saliva, and their complaint of great thirst as well as the antagonistic feeling was quickly forgotten. Thus they were able to push their way forward with ever greater vigor until they found a real water source.

Based on the story the later generation formed the idiom , to illustrate a case where one takes comfort in believing that they have already attained that which was expected or desired, in a word, imaginary satisfaction.