We often use this sentence to express that the environment has a great influence on people and things. Because of the different environment, the result of the same thing may be very different, just like this dried tangerine peel, so we should adjust measures to local conditions and don't blindly copy it.
Extended data
This sentence comes from Liu Xiang's "Yan Zi makes Chu". When Yan Zi went to Chu State, he was stumped by Chu State. The king of Chu said that Qi people were good at stealing. Yan Zi used this sentence to say that Qi people kept their position in Qi State, but they became thieves in Chu State. It was the environment that influenced people, not the Qi people who stole it, suggesting that the environment of Chu State was not as good as that of Qi State.