Pao Zhuan Yin Yu 抛砖引玉

The literal translation of this Chinese idiom or ‘chengyu’ to bring jade by laying bricks.,There was a respected and highly talented poet of great fame during the Tang dynasty known as Zhao Gu. Zhao Gu's poems were finely crafted that other well known poets of the era were avid fans of the noble laureate. During his time, there was a man named Chang Jian living in Wu. He was a good poet and fond of writing poetry though he had none of Zhao’s fame. Chang Jian was an ardent admirer of Zhao Gu's works, and for this reason his greatest desire was that of meeting Zhao face to face and having an opportunity to speak with him. At length he pondered how to get Zhao’s much coveted attention

News reached Chang Jian that Zhao Gu would arrive in his home. Chang Jian had a flash of inspiration: he knew that Zhao Gu would almost certainly take a trip to Ling Yan Temple whilst he was in the area, this was the most popular place for touring people. Chang Jian went to the temple. He knew that there was a wall in the temple on which the comments of guests were written so he found it and inscribed it with two lines of a poem.

Discovering the two lines of poetry daubed on the wall of the temple, he could not resist writing a completing couplet. As a rule ancient Chinese poems are always comprised of four lines, minimum. Chang Jian had his dream realized. He was able to create a poem in cooperation with his idol. "My poem is a brick, and Zhao Gu's poem is jade, I layed a brick, and attracted jade" were his words when he was asked to explain his actions.

This idiom is now a polite expression often used when giving an opinion or delivering a speech. It means that what one is offering is somehow lacking, and one is in hopes that others will, seeing it, offer something that is better. Its usage is a means of giving face to others whilst also being self effacing , this is a communicative tool which gains peoples’ respect in China as face is a highly valued aspect of social interactions.