Ever bought something online that looked absolutely fire in the photos, only for it to arrive looking like a total disaster? 📸😭 We've all been there! It turns out that the struggle with misleading appearances isn't a new-age digital problem—it's a timeless human experience.
Let's travel back to the early Ming Dynasty with a piece of satirical prose by Liu Ji, a scholar and strategist. He wrote a fascinating story called "The words of the orange seller," which feels surprisingly relatable even in 2026.
The story focuses on a man in Hangzhou who was an absolute pro at selling oranges. He had this secret technique to keep them looking golden and smelling fragrant through both winter and summer. But here was the catch: the moment you peeled one open, the inside was dry and withered, like old cotton floss. 😱
When Liu Ji called him out for deceiving people, the seller just shrugged it off. His logic? People buy with their eyes, and since the world rewards appearances, why should his oranges be any different? He even pointed out that the world is full of powerful officials whose reputations shine bright while their actual conduct is pretty messy.
This story gives us a perfect look at the Chinese idiom 金玉其外，败絮其中 (Jin yu qi wai, bai xu qi zhong), which literally means "gold and jade on the outside, rotting cotton within." 💎🍂
It turns out, this "fake it till you make it" vibe is a global theme. In English, we have the classic phrase "all that glitters is not gold." While most of us associate this with Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, the idea is way older, appearing in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer and even in medieval Latin!
The obsession with gold as a test of truth pops up everywhere:
- Arabic: ليس كل ما يلمع ذهبا (Not everything that shines is gold)
- Spanish: "No es oro todo lo que reluce"
- French: "Tout ce qui brille n'est pas or"
Whether it's a Ming Dynasty fruit seller, a Shakespearean character, or a misleading product listing on a shopping app, the lesson remains the same: always check the reviews before you hit "buy!" 🛒✨
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
