包子打狗

ròu bāo zi dǎ (Chinese)

literal translation: “to hit a dog with a meat bun”

My roommate, JC, told me this Chinese proverb. He is from Taiwan, a country heavily influenced by Chinese culture (the island was a part of China until 1945, China still considers it a territory). His father is a prominent businessman. J told me that his father always teaches him business lessons whenever he can. “Business strategies are very important to my dad and to Taiwanese culture in general. Parents often run their houses like a business, with strict rules and practices. Taiwan is a very efficient and fair country.”

J learned this proverb from his father, and it always stuck out in his mind. He says that it means you can’t punish someone with something they’ll enjoy. “Or furthermore,” he elaborates, “do not take the wrong approach to solving a problem.” If you throw a meat bun at a dog to hurt him, he’ll eat the meat bun and enjoy it. And he will not learn his lesson.

This proverb preaches thinking about the right solution to a problem, and using the right tools to get there. I understand why a businessman such as J’s father would like this proverb. Business requires thinking about each problem individually and using a unique approach to solving it.

I enjoy this proverb because it uses a funny scenario to teach an important lesson. I see why this specifically has stuck in J’s mind. Telling someone to “always think” is vague advice. But putting it in the context of an interesting scenario makes the lesson much more valuable and easy to remember. If I’m ever faced with a difficult problem and I want to jump right to an easy solution, I’m going to think about this proverb. I’m going to think, “Wait, am I just trying to throw a meat bun at a dog?” The visualization that the proverb provides makes the message much more powerful. This explains the importance of proverbs. They are simple way to convey profound lessons.