?
【成語來源】?
get the casket and return the pearl
買櫝還珠
A man from the state of Chu wanted to sell a
precious pearl in the state of Zheng.
?有個(gè)楚國人想在鄭國出售一顆珍貴的珍珠。
He made a
casket for the pearl out of the wood from a
magnolia tree, which he fumigated with spices. He studded the casket with pearls and
jade, ornamented it with red gems and decorated it with
kingfisher feathers.
他用木蘭為珍珠作了個(gè)匣子,用香料把匣子熏香,還用珠,玉,紅寶石來加以裝飾,并插上了翠鳥的羽毛。
A man of the state of Zheng bought the casket and gave him back the pearl.
一個(gè)鄭國人買走了這個(gè)匣子,卻把珍珠還給了他。
過于華麗的裝飾往往會(huì)喧賓奪主。
This man from Chu certainly knew how to sell a casket but he was no good at selling his pearl. And the man of Zheng didn't know which is really
valuable.
那個(gè)楚國人知道如何賣掉匣子,卻不擅長出售珍珠(忽略了物品的重點(diǎn),取舍不當(dāng))。至于買匣子的鄭國人,他根本不懂什么才是真正有價(jià)值的。
【文化鏈接】
“買櫝還珠”這個(gè)故事中那個(gè)買走了盒子卻舍棄珍珠的鄭國人其實(shí)“只注重了外表,卻忽略了實(shí)質(zhì)”,而英文中表達(dá)諸如此類的“買櫝還珠”“以貌取人”意思的短語就可以用“judge a book by its cover”,直譯也就是“光憑一本書的書皮,就判斷書的內(nèi)容的好壞”。
在英國達(dá)人秀中脫穎而出的草根明星“蘇珊大媽”雖然沒有華麗的外表,但是她以自己的實(shí)力一鳴驚人,所以蘇珊大媽這個(gè)例子就告訴我們:Never judge a book by its cover.(不要買櫝還珠/不要以貌取人)