Hanzi

Once upon a time, there was a scholar (Bóshì) who had thoroughly studied the Four Books and Five Classics, and was full of classical knowledge. He was very proud of himself and insisted on using ornate language in everything he did.

One day, his donkey died, so he went to the market to buy another. After they settled on a price, the scholar asked the donkey seller to write a bill of sale. The seller, being illiterate, asked the scholar to write it for him, which the scholar readily agreed to.

The seller immediately borrowed a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and the scholar began to write. He wrote very diligently, and after a long time, three full pages were covered with dense characters before he finished.

The seller asked the scholar to read it aloud. The scholar cleared his throat, then swayed his head as he began to read, attracting passersby to gather and listen. After quite a while, the scholar finally finished reading the document. The seller, confused, asked, "Sir, you've written three full pages, but how come there isn't a single character for 'donkey' in it? In fact, all you needed to write was, 'On such-and-such a date, I sold you a donkey for so-and-so amount,' and that would have been enough. Why did you ramble on so much?"

Those watching nearby burst into laughter. When this incident spread, people coined a satirical saying: "A scholar buys a donkey, three scrolls of writing, yet not a single 'donkey' character."