English Original
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.
中文翻译
一个楚国人打算在郑国出售一颗珍贵的珍珠。他用木兰木为珍珠制作了一个匣子，并用香料熏制。接着，他用珍珠和玉石镶嵌匣子，用红色的宝石装饰，还用翠鸟的羽毛加以点缀。
一个郑国人买下了这个匣子，却把珍珠还给了卖家。
这个故事说明，过分奢华的装饰常常会掩盖事物真正的价值。这位楚国商人擅长卖匣子，却不擅长卖珍珠。而那位郑国买家则未能识别出真正宝贵的东西。