Zheng Man Buys Shoes

Informant: Xinyi Chen, 27, F

Date Collected: 5/18/14

Genre: Proverb

Informant Data: Xinyi was born in Shanghai and lived there until high school, when she left for Singapore. Subsequently she left to attend school and work in the United States. Xinyi is a native speaker of Chinese, which is also her first language. Xinyi was interviewed when she visited campus over Green Key weekend.

Text/Texture 

Chinese: 郑人买鞋  (Zhèng rén mǎi xié)

Literal Translation: Zheng man buys shoes

Free Translation: N/A

Context: The proverb is typically used in situations that put someone in a situation of whether to strictly adhere to rules and regulations or break from them.

Meaning/Interpretation: Xinyi says that the story comes from ancient times: a barefoot man named Zheng went to the shoe shop to buy shoes. He found a pair of shoes that he really liked, but Zheng did not know the measurements for his feet. He ran all the way home, checked his sizing on his other shoes, and returned to the shop--only to discover that his favorite pair was sold out. Someone asked him why he didn't just try the shoes on with his own feet, and Zheng responded that he would rather trust the measurements. The moral of this proverb is to not adhere too strictly to rules; instead, it is important to be flexible.