The original sentence is: In situations where there is no interaction between people, I am filled with the joy of life. But I can't get over this little biting annoyance for a day. Life is like a gorgeous robe covered with lice.

The meaning of this sentence is: the surface is bright and beautiful, but the inside is dirty. This sentence satirizes the superficial beauty of life, but the inside is unbearable to look at.

Gorgeous robe: a metaphor for the beauty of life. The inside is crawling with lice: the inside is a metaphor for the inner nature of life (the inner quality of a person, the actual execution of affairs, etc.); the lice is a metaphor for dross, disgusting character qualities, and despicable behaviors. Everyone dislikes lice, but everyone likes gorgeous robes.

This sentence comes from Zhang Ailing's "Genius Dream".

Anecdotes about the work

To commemorate the third anniversary of its founding, in September 1939, the 37th issue of Shanghai's "West Wind" magazine published a "100-yuan cash reward" titled "My..." Call for Papers" stipulates that "anything worth remembering about an individual can be published" and requires that "the content must be realistic and the subject matter must be substantial and moving." Zhang Ailing, who was 18 years old at the time, wrote a 1,300-word essay "My Genius Dream" to apply. Although this article is not as sophisticated as Zhang's later works, the subtlety of its language is beginning to emerge, such as the last line, "Life is a gorgeous robe, crawling with fleas," which has become a well-known saying. .