Bit by Bit - Chapter 4, Part 22

Trey Smith

Tzu-ch'i of Nan-po was wandering around the Hill of Shang when he saw a huge tree there, different from all the rest. A thousand teams of horses could have taken shelter under it and its shade would have covered them all. Tzu-ch'i said, "What tree is this? It must certainly have some extraordinary usefulness!" But, looking up, he saw that the smaller limbs were gnarled and twisted, unfit for beams or rafters, and looking down, he saw that the trunk was pitted and rotten and could not be used for coffins. He licked one of the leaves and it blistered his mouth and made it sore. He sniffed the odor and it was enough to make a man drunk for three days. "It turns out to be a completely unusable tree," said Tzu-ch'i, "and so it has been able to grow this big. Aha ! - it is this unusableness that the Holy Man makes use of!"
~ Burton Watson translation ~

Like the previous story, this one too urges each of us not to be gaudy.  It also suggests to me that we should not be so quick to judge things and people by their outward appearances. 

True virtue lies beneath the surface.

To view the Index page for this series, go here.