huái​nán​jú​huái​běi​zhǐ

south of the Huai River is a tangerine, north is a trifoliate orange

Senses

淮南橘,淮北枳 huái​nán​jú​huái​běi​zhǐ south of the Huai River is a tangerine, north is a trifoliate orange

an idiom meaning that the environment changes the nature of a person or thing, as the same species of plant might produce sweet fruit in the south but bitter fruit in the north

References

same_as 南橘北枳/南橘北枳 淮南橘,淮北枳/淮南橘,淮北枳