买椟还珠
- Literal
- buying the case, returning the pearl
- Figurative
- To keep the showy wrapping and let the truly valuable thing go; a criticism of judging by the packaging and missing the substance.
Where does 买椟还珠 come from?
It is a fable from the 《韩非子》. A man of Chu wanted to sell a pearl in the state of Zheng, so he made it a case of magnolia wood, scented with cinnamon and pepper, decorated with pearls and jade, and inlaid with kingfisher feathers. A man of Zheng bought the case and gave him back the pearl. The book remarks that the seller knew how to sell cases, but not pearls, and uses the story to explain why an overly ornate speech makes people forget what it says. Today it describes someone who keeps the trimmings and discards what matters; 本末倒置, by contrast, is getting priorities the wrong way round.
Source (出处): 《韩非子·外储说左上》
How is 买椟还珠 used? Two examples
- 选月饼只看礼盒漂不漂亮，不管里面好不好吃，简直是买椟还珠。
Picking mooncakes purely for how pretty the gift box is, never mind how they taste, is keeping the case and giving back the pearl.
- 学生只记住了老师讲的笑话，重点却全忘了，真是买椟还珠。
The students remembered only the teacher's jokes and forgot all the key points: a classic case of keeping the case and giving back the pearl.
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