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Stories/Chinese folklore/The Zheng Man Who Bought Shoes
HSK 4 Chinese reading practice

郑人买履

zhèng rén mǎi lǚ

The Zheng Man Who Bought Shoes

A man returns home for a shoe measurement instead of trusting the feet the shoes must fit.

RECOMMENDEDHSK 4
READ3 min
HANZI220
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文化
CULTURE

Why does the man trust the measurement?

郑人买履 comes from Han Feizi. 履 is a classical word for shoes. The story is now used to criticize rigid reliance on rules or recorded information when direct evidence is available.

Key vocabulary10 words from this story
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阅读理解 · COMPREHENSION

Check your understanding

Answer three questions without looking at the English translation.

01郑国人把量好的尺寸记在了什么上面？
02他最后为什么没有买到鞋？
03郑国人更相信什么？
0 / 3questions answered
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Chinese idiom guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about 郑人买履

What does 郑人买履 mean in English?

郑人买履 (zhèng rén mǎi lǚ) literally means “a man from Zheng buys shoes.” It describes following a rule, measurement, or recorded idea rigidly while ignoring direct evidence and actual conditions.

When is 郑人买履 used?

Use 郑人买履 (zhèng rén mǎi lǚ) when someone trusts an abstract rule or old measurement more than the reality directly in front of them. For example: Rejecting the correctly sized replacement part because it did not match an outdated spreadsheet was a case of 郑人买履.

What is the pinyin for 郑人买履?

The pinyin pronunciation for 郑人买履 is “zhèng rén mǎi lǚ.”