三國時期有一天，
曹操領兵去征戰，
途中士兵皆口渴，
附近無處覓水源。
曹操心內正焦急，
忽有一計浮心田，
傳令說：
“前邊有片梅樹林，
結的梅子甜又酸，
梅林不遠馬上到，
摘吃解渴又解饞。”
大家聽了此令後，
個個心中都喜歡。
條件反射起作用，
頓覺口水似湧泉。
“望梅止渴”作成語，
是用想象中事物作慰安。
Quench One's Thirst by
Thinking of Plums
One day during the period of the Three Kingdoms（220—265A。D。），Cao Cao led his soldiers to fight a battle。On the way his soldiers were all feeling thirsty，but there was no water nearby。Cao Cao got worried in his heart，when suddenly an idea occurred in his mind。
Then he let his order be passed down：“There are plum trees ahead，and the plums on the trees are sweets and sour。We'll get there in no time，then you'll be plucking and eating them。”When the soldiers all heard the mand，they soon felt their mouths watering。
The idiom“Quench One's Thirst by Thinking of Plums”usually means to console oneself with false hopes。