In Chinese, the idiom “买椟还珠” is used to describe a situation when someone gets distracted by frivolities that don’t matter, and overlooks something truly valuable. The phrase literally translates to “Buying the box but returning the pearl” – and that’s what’s today’s illustrative story is about, a man who gets so distracted by fancy packaging that he misses the real treasure inside.
从前，有一个楚国人，他有一颗非常漂亮的珍珠。他想把这颗珍珠卖掉，换一些钱。
他想：”我要做一个很好看的盒子，把珍珠放在里面。这样，别人就会想买了。”
于是，他找来了最好的木头，做了一个小盒子。盒子做得非常漂亮。他在盒子上画了很多美丽的花，还放了一些香料在里面，让盒子闻起来很香。
做好之后，他带着盒子去市场卖珍珠。
在市场上，很多人看到了这个漂亮的盒子。大家都觉得盒子非常好看。
有一个郑国人走过来，看了看盒子，又看了看里面的珍珠。他想了一会儿，然后对楚国人说：”我买了！”
楚国人很高兴，把盒子给了他，拿到了钱。
但是，那个郑国人打开盒子，把珍珠拿出来，还给了楚国人，然后高高兴兴地拿着盒子走了。
楚国人看着手里的珍珠，不知道说什么好。
旁边的人都笑了起来，说：”他买的是盒子，不是珍珠！”
这个故事告诉我们，要知道什么东西是最重要的。不要只看外面好不好看，要看里面有没有真正的价值。
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| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 珍珠 | zhēnzhū | pearl |
| 盒子 | hézi5 | box |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang5 | beautiful, pretty |
| 香料 | xiāngliào | spices, fragrance |
| 市场 | shìchǎng | market |
| 价值 | jiàzhí | value, worth |
| 木头 | mùtou5 | wood |
| 高高兴兴 | gāogāoxìngxìng | happily, joyfully |
| 从前 | cóng qián | previously; formerly; once upon a time |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 楚 | Chǔ | surname Chu; abbr. for Hubei 湖北省[Hu2 bei3 Sheng3] and Hunan 湖南省[Hu2 nan2 Sheng3] provinces together; Chinese kingdom during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (722–22… |
| 国人 | guó rén | compatriots (literary); fellow countrymen |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 颗 | ke | classifier for small spheres, pearls, corn grains, teeth, hearts, satellites etc |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to); to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 这 | zhè | (pronoun) this; these; (bound form) this; the (followed by a noun); (bound form) this; these (followed by a classifier) (in this sense, commonly pr. [zhei4], esp. in Beijing) |
| 卖 | mài | to sell; to betray; to spare no effort; to show off or flaunt |
| 掉 | diào | to fall; to drop; to lag behind; to lose; to go missing; to reduce; fall (in prices); to lose (value, weight etc); to wag; to swing; to turn; to change; to exchange; to swap; to sh… |
| 换 | huàn | to exchange; to change (clothes etc); to substitute; to switch; to convert (currency) |
| 一些 | yī xiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 钱 | Qián | surname Qian |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 好看 | hǎo kàn | good-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good; in an embarrassing situation |
| 放 | fàng | to put; to place; to release; to free; to let go; to let out; to set off (fireworks) |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 里面 | lǐ miàn | variant of 裡面|里面[li3 mian4] |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 别人 | bié ren | other people; others; other person |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 会 | huì | can; to have the skill; to know how to; to be likely to; to be sure to; to meet; to get together; meeting; gathering; (suffix) union; group; association; (bound form) a moment (Tai… |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy; to purchase |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 于是 | yú shì | thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence |
| 找 | zhǎo | to try to find; to look for; to call on sb; to find; to seek; to return; to give change |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 最好 | zuì hǎo | best; had better ...; it would be best to ... |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 画 | huà | to draw; to paint; picture; painting (CL:幅[fu2],張|张[zhang1]); to draw (a line) (variant of 劃|划[hua4]); stroke of a Chinese character (variant of 劃|划[hua4]); (calligraphy) horizonta… |
| 多 | duō | many; much; more; a lot of; too many; in excess; (after a numeral) ... odd; how (to what extent) (Taiwan pr. [duo2]); (bound form) multi-; poly- |
| 美 | Měi | (bound form) the Americas (abbr. for 美洲[Mei3 zhou1]); (bound form) USA (abbr. for 美國|美国[Mei3 guo2]) |
| 丽 | lǐ | used in place names, notably 高麗|高丽[Gao1 li2] and 麗水|丽水[Li2 shui3] |
| 花 | Huā | surname Hua; old variant of 花[hua1]; variant of 花[hua1]; flower; blossom; also pr. [wei3] |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 闻 | Wén | surname Wen |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 香 | xiāng | fragrant; sweet smelling; aromatic; savory or appetizing; (to eat) with relish; (of sleep) sound; perfume or spice; joss or incense stick; CL:根[gen1] |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 之 | zhī | (possessive particle, literary equivalent of 的[de5]); him; her; it |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 带 | dài | band; belt; girdle; ribbon; tire; area; zone; region; CL:條|条[tiao2]; to wear; to carry; to take along; to bear (i.e. to have); to lead; to bring; to look after; to raise |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 看到 | kàn dào | to see |
| 这个 | zhè ge | (pronoun) this; (adjective) this |
| 大家 | dà jiā | everyone; influential family; great expert |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 郑 | zhěng | surname Zheng; (hist.) the Zheng state (a Zhou-dynasty vassal state) |
| 走过 | zǒu guò | to walk past; to pass by |
| 看 | kān | to look after; to take care of; to watch; to guard |
| 又 | yòu | (once) again; also; both... and...; and yet; (used for emphasis) anyway |
| 一会儿 | yī huì r | a moment; a while; in a moment; now...now...; also pr. [yi1 hui3 r5] |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy; glad; willing (to do sth); in a cheerful mood |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give; to allow; to do sth (for sb); (grammatical equivalent of 被); (grammatical equivalent of 把); (sentence intensifier) |
| 拿到 | ná dào | to get; to obtain |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 那个 | nà ge | that one; that thing; that (as opposed to this); (used before a verb or adjective for emphasis); (used to humorously or indirectly refer to sth embarrassing, funny etc, or when one… |
| 打开 | dǎ kāi | to open; to show (a ticket); to turn on; to switch on |
| 拿出 | ná chū | to take out; to put out; to provide; to put forward (a proposal); to come up with (evidence) |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 拿 | ná | old variant of 拿[na2]; variant of 拿[na2]; to hold; to seize; to catch; to apprehend; to take; (used in the same way as 把[ba3]: to mark the following noun as a direct object) |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle); to visit; to leave; to go away; to die (euph.); from; through; away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[che4 zou3]); to change (shape, form… |
| 着手 | zhuó shǒu | to put one's hand to it; to start out on a task; to set out |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 不知 | bù zhī | not to know; unaware; unknowingly; fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) |
| 道 | dào | road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3]); (bound form) way; reason; principle; (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization; (Daoism) the Way; the Dao; to say (introducing a direct quot… |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 旁边 | páng biān | side; adjacent place |
| 笑 | xiào | old variant of 笑[xiao4]; to laugh; to smile; to laugh at |
| 不是 | bù shì | no; is not; not |
| 故事 | gù shì | old practice |
| 告 | gào | (bound form) to say; to tell; to announce; to report; to denounce; to file a lawsuit; to sue |
| 诉 | sù | variant of 訴|诉[su4]; to complain; to sue; to tell |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 知道 | zhī dào | to know; to become aware of; also pr. [zhi1dao5] |
| 东 | Dōng | surname Dong |
| 西 | Xī | the West; abbr. for Spain 西班牙[Xi1 ban1 ya2]; Spanish |
| 最 | zuì | variant of 最[zui4]; old variant of 最[zui4]; (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world") |
| 重要 | zhòng yào | important; significant; major |
| 不要 | bù yào | don't!; must not |
| 只 | zhī | variant of 隻|只[zhi1]; variant of 只[zhi3]; grain that has begun to ripen; classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc |
| 外面 | wài miàn | outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense); surface; exterior; external appearance |
| 好不好 | hǎo bu hǎo | (coll.) all right?; OK? |
| 要看 | yào kàn | (it) depends on ... |
| 有没有 | yǒu méi yǒu | (before a noun) Do (you, they etc) have ...?; Is there a ...?; (before a verb) Did (you, they etc) (verb, infinitive)?; Have (you, they etc) (verb, past participle)? |
| 真正 | zhēn zhèng | genuine; real; true; really; indeed |
Once upon a time, there was a man from the state of Chu who had a very beautiful pearl. He wanted to sell this pearl and get some money for it.
He thought: ‘I should make a very nice-looking box and put the pearl inside. That way, people will want to buy it.’
So he found the finest wood and made a small box. The box turned out to be extremely beautiful. He painted many lovely flowers on the box and even put some fragrant spices inside to make it smell wonderful.
After finishing it, he took the box to the market to sell the pearl.
At the market, many people noticed this beautiful box. Everyone thought the box was very pretty.
A man from the state of Zheng came over, looked at the box, and then looked at the pearl inside. He thought for a moment, then said to the man from Chu: ‘I’ll buy it!’
The man from Chu was very happy. He gave him the box and received the money.
But then, the man from Zheng opened the box, took out the pearl, returned it to the man from Chu, and happily walked away with just the box.
The man from Chu looked at the pearl in his hand, not knowing what to say.
The people nearby all burst out laughing and said: ‘He bought the box, not the pearl!’
This story teaches us that we should know what is truly important. Don’t just look at whether something appears nice on the outside – look at whether it has real value inside.