Buying bamboo slips and returning pearls is an idiom, which comes from Han Fei's "Han Fei Zi Wai Chu Zuo Shang" in the Warring States Period. It means buying a wooden box full of pearls and returning it; The metaphor is improper choice, and the secondary things are better than the main ones. As predicate, object and attribute in a sentence; Used in written language.
Idiom allusions During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a jeweler in the State of Chu. He often travels between Chu and Zheng, doing some jewelry business. One day, he prepared some jewels and planned to sell them to Zheng. In order to attract customers and sell them at a good price, he thought of a good way.
He chose some excellent wood, asked craftsmen to make exquisite and novel wooden boxes, and asked skilled sculptors to carve various exquisite patterns on the outside of the boxes. At the same time, he chose different precious spices to make the box emit charming fragrance. The box is ready. It looks golden and smells charming. This is really a rare work of art. ..
He thought that if the jewels were put in these boxes, it would definitely attract Zheng's people. Maybe they would scramble to buy his own jewels, and then they would make a lot of money. The jeweler carefully put the jewels in a special box and left Zheng with confidence. After arriving in Zheng, he displayed his jewels in a bustling market.
The meaning of the idiom "buy bamboo slips and return them to pearls";
Zheng people only stared at the exquisite wooden cases and gave up precious jewels. It can be seen that things must be clearly defined, and people who buy gifts and return pearls cannot only pay attention to the appearance of things and not see the essence of things.
Only by seeing the essence of things clearly and prioritizing can we make appropriate choices. The idiom originally meant to put back the wooden box bought to hold pearls; The metaphor is improper choice, and the secondary things are better than the main ones.