秦女楚珠 — “Valuing the accessory over the essential”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 秦女楚珠?

比喻次要的东西胜过主要的东西

秦女楚珠 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Valuing the accessory over the essential”. Prizing the less important over the more important; focusing on superficial appearances rather than the true substance. Literally, “Qin maiden, Chu pearls”.

Frequency

秦女楚珠 Pronunciation and Pinyin

秦女楚珠 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
秦	qín	10	ancient Chinese state or dynasty
女	nǚ	3	woman, female, daughter
楚	chǔ	13	clear, distinct, neat
珠	zhū	10	Pearl or bead

Example Sentence with 秦女楚珠

在现代生活中，有些人过度追求品牌包装，却忽视了商品本身的实际功能和品质，这正是秦女楚珠。

In modern life, some people excessively pursue brand packaging, neglecting the actual function and quality of the product itself, which is a classic case of prizing the less important over the more important.

Origin and Story of 秦女楚珠

The idiom 'Qin Nü Chu Zhū' (秦女楚珠), literally 'Qin maiden, Chu pearls,' illustrates the folly of valuing the accessory over the essential or prioritizing the less important over the more significant.

There are two classic anecdotes associated with this idiom:

The first story dates back to the Spring and Autumn period. When a princess from the State of Qin was married into the State of Jin, she was accompanied by a beautifully adorned maid. Upon seeing the maid, the people of Jin, impressed by her extravagant attire, mistakenly believed her to be the more noble and important person compared to the actual bride.

The second story is about a man from the State of Chu who traveled to the State of Zheng to sell precious pearls. He had placed these pearls in an exquisitely crafted box. However, the people of Zheng, failing to recognize the true value of the pearls, were only captivated by the beautiful box. They bought the box but returned the pearls to the seller, keeping only the container.

Both tales serve to highlight the error of being dazzled by superficial appearances and failing to appreciate the true worth or essence of something.