📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a situation where things are disproportionate, where the secondary or superficial aspect outweighs the essential or fundamental one. It originates from a historical incident involving the pricing of deer hide versus jade discs. It is used to criticize cases where priorities are inverted and the trivial is valued over the important.
📜 Origin Story
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the emperor and his minister Zhang Tang created a new currency using white deer hide, priced at an exorbitant 400,000 cash. When asked for his opinion, the official Yan Yi pointed out that the jade discs used by nobles for court tribute were worth only a few thousand, yet the deer hide mat placed beneath them cost forty times more. He argued that this was a clear case of the tail wagging the dog—the incidental item far exceeding the valuable one in price. The phrase '本末不相称' (disproportionate between root and branch) from his critique gave rise to this idiom.
💡 Example Usage
这桩婚事讲究排场却忽视了情意，真是鹿皮苍璧。
This marriage emphasizes extravagance while neglecting genuine affection—truly a case of misplaced priorities.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鹿皮苍璧
- Pinyin: lù pí cāng bì
- Literal Translation: deer, skin, green, jade
- Category: Logic
- Characters: 4