The fable of buying bamboo slips and returning pearls is that a businessman in Chu State sold his pearls to people in Zheng State. Jewelry is packed in wooden boxes of magnolia trees, smoked with cinnamon peppers, decorated with exquisite pearls and jade, decorated with beautiful jade and decorated with kingfisher feathers. Zheng's men bought the box, but returned the jewels to the merchant.

The truth of buying bamboo slips and returning 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 can't just pay attention to the appearance of things without seeing 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.