During the Spring and Autumn period, a Jin official named Yang Chufu was sent on a mission to Wei. On his return, he stopped at an inn in Ningyi (present-day Huojia County, Henan). The innkeeper, whose surname was Ying, was deeply impressed by Yang Chufu's dignified appearance and extraordinary demeanor. He quietly told his wife, "I've long wanted to follow a man of noble character, but after years of searching, I've never found the right one. Today, I believe Yang Chufu is that man, and I've decided to go with him."
The innkeeper, having secured Yang Chufu's permission, bid farewell to his wife and set off with him. Along the way, Yang Chufu chatted aimlessly, and the innkeeper listened as they walked. Just as they left the borders of Ningyi County, the innkeeper changed his mind and parted ways with Yang Chufu.
The shopkeeper's wife, seeing her husband suddenly return, asked in confusion, "You rarely meet someone like this—why not go with him? Weren't you determined? Don't worry about things at home."
The innkeeper said, "I saw he looked like a fine gentleman and thought he could be trusted, but after hearing his words, I found them utterly distasteful. I feared that if I went with him, instead of gaining wisdom, I might bring disaster upon myself, so I abandoned the idea."
This Yang Chufu, in the innkeeper's eyes, was a man of "flashy but insubstantial" character. Later, the idiom "flashy but insubstantial" came to describe something that looks good on the surface but lacks real substance.
Source: *Zuo Zhuan*, "Duke Wen, Fifth Year"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "华而不实" came to describe how something that looks good on the surface but lacks real substance.