By Qian Zhongshu

The Functions of a Leaf

By Qian Zhongshu

God wanted to choose the most beautiful bird to be the king of all birds.The crow put a long peacock’s feather onto its tail and joined in God’s selection process. God then chose the crow.This made the other birds angry and they pulled the feather off the crow,revealing its true appearance.

What this shows is that not everyone with long hair is an artist; and likewise,not everyone who is bald is a scholar or a thinker.Uneducated people are tricked because they are illiterate,and educated people are tricked by the press precisely because they are literate.

A diploma,like the leaves that Adam and Eve wore around their waists,can hide things that you do not want to reveal to other people. It is a small piece of paper that can hide one’s shallowness,shame, and stupidity.

(FromYouth Times,January 2016.Translation:Trans.)