CHENGYU
买椟还珠(mǎi dú huán zhū)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- literary
- Source:
- 《韩非子·外储说左上》
MEANING
- Literal
- to buy the casket and return the pearl
- Figurative meaning
- to mistake the packaging for the product; to miss what really matters
ORIGIN STORY
A jeweler of Chu sold pearls in boxes of fine wood, perfumed with spices and inlaid with jade. A man of Zheng bought a box and returned the pearl inside — enchanted by the case, blind to the treasure.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“to judge a book by its cover”
EXAMPLES
只看包装不看内容，就是买椟还珠。Zhǐ kàn bāozhuāng bù kàn nèiróng, jiù shì mǎi dú huán zhū.HSK6
Judging only the packaging and ignoring the content is buying the box and returning the pearl.
选书不能买椟还珠，内容比封面重要。Xuǎn shū bù néng mǎi dú huán zhū, nèiróng bǐ fēngmiàn zhòngyào.HSK6
Choosing a book must not be box-over-pearl; the content matters more than the cover.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: It criticizes valuing the surface over the substance — not returning goods in general.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
Tap a character to explore it
TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01