A man from the state of Chu wanted to sell a precious pearl in the state of Zheng. He crafted a casket for the pearl from magnolia wood, which he fumigated with fragrant spices. He then studded the casket with pearls and jade, adorned it with red gems, and decorated it with kingfisher feathers.
A man from Zheng bought the casket but returned the pearl to the seller.
This story illustrates that excessively lavish decoration can often overshadow the true value of an object. The Chu merchant excelled at selling the casket but failed at selling the pearl itself. Conversely, the Zheng buyer failed to recognize what was truly valuable.