During the Spring and Autumn period, a man from the State of Song was quarrying stone on a mountain when he stumbled upon a magnificent piece of jade. The gem sparkled brilliantly and was worth a fortune, filling the man with immense joy.
He brought the jade home and hired a jeweler to appraise it. The jeweler praised the stone profusely but warned, "Be careful—don't let anyone steal it." The man noticed a few shady characters lurking near his door over the next few days, so he hid the jade away. Even so, his heart remained uneasy with worry.
Worried that others might steal it or that merchants would cheat him, he weighed the pros and cons and decided to give the jade away as a favor, so he headed straight for the capital with it.
He went to the mansion of Zihan, the high official in charge of engineering, and presented a precious jade. Puzzled, Zihan asked him, "You and I are complete strangers—why are you giving me this jade? Do you need my help with something? I never accept any gifts!"
The man eagerly insisted, 'This jade is indeed a rare treasure, which is why I offer it to you, Zihan.'
Zi Han said, "I cannot accept it. I consider incorruptibility my treasure, while you consider this jade your treasure. If you give me the jade, you lose your treasure and I lose my treasure of incorruptibility—wouldn't we both be at a loss?"
Seeing Zihan's unwavering integrity, the man confessed he had brought the jade out of fear of thieves. Zihan had a jade carver polish the gem, sold it at market, gave the man all the proceeds, and escorted him safely home.
Later, people used the idiom "Not Coveting Is a Treasure" to signify incorruptibility.
Source: *Zuo Zhuan*, "Duke Xiang's Fifteenth Year"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "不贪为宝" came to describe how incorruptibility is considered a treasure.