Don't be confused by superficial things, recognize the true value of things, and don't throw away watermelons to pick up sesame seeds!

The original intention of buying bamboo slips and pearls is to buy a wooden box with pearls to return. Metaphor has no vision and improper choice. From Han Fei, a thinker in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Han Fei's On the Left.

Original text:

Some Chu people sold their pearls to Zheng, that is, Mulan's cabinet, decorated with cinnamon, pearls and jadeite, decorated with roses, decorated with feather clothes and jadeite. Zheng Guoren bought the jewelry box and returned the pearls. This can be said to be a best seller, but it is not a best seller

Translation:

There is a Chu man who sells jewelry in the state of Zheng. He carved a pearl box with precious Mulan, smoked the box with spices made of cinnamon pepper, decorated it with precious stones and jewels, connected it with beautiful jade, decorated it with jade and connected it with kingfisher feathers. A man from Zheng bought this box, but returned the beads in it to him. It can be said that this jeweler is good at selling boxes, but not good at selling jewelry.

In the story, Zheng people only pay attention to the appearance and ignore the essence, which makes him make an inappropriate choice. The "over-packaging" of the Chu people is really ridiculous. The story of this idiom tells us: we should prioritize our work, and we should not give up everything and make improper choices.

Extended data:

This buyer may not really be "as blind as a bat".

Commodity, simply distinguish * * * has two parts. Some are valuable things, such as daily necessities in our lives-rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and tea, as well as some luxury goods, high-end leather bags, handmade leather shoes and red wine stored for more than ten years; Others are priceless, such as a work of art, an inspiration or a temporary happy mood.

Priceless things do not mean that the value is much higher than that of valuable things, but that the value of these goods is difficult to judge. "priceless" does not mean "infinitely high price", but "incalculable price"

And the box that our hero sells, the exquisiteness of this box, has left the category of ordinary boxes and entered the height of "art".

Comparing the value of two items, we generally consider them from three angles: price, practicality and self-demand.

As far as price is concerned, the two goods can't be compared. Practically speaking, whether it's exquisite boxes or beautiful pearls, their function is to decorate the master's noble taste as decorations. The difference is that pearls are often made into headdresses, pendants or bracelets, while boxes are kept at home or given as gifts to others.

In other words, from a practical point of view, it is difficult to distinguish the value of beautiful pearls from exquisite boxes.

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