The story and meaning of pretending to understand when you don’t understand

There was a northerner who went to the south to be an official. When he first arrived in the south, he must have had many things that he didn’t understand. If he humbly asked others for advice, it might not be difficult to understand. But this gentleman didn't want to ask others. It would appear that he was too ignorant and would be too shameless. He would rather pretend to understand when he doesn't understand, which leads to many jokes. Once, a local squire invited him to be a guest, and everyone was chatting happily. At this time, the servant brought him a plate of water chestnuts. The northern official had never eaten water chestnuts before and was too embarrassed to ask. The host repeatedly asked him to taste them first, but he had no choice but to pick up a water chestnut and put it in his mouth to chew. The owner was surprised when he saw that he ate it without even peeling the shell. He asked him: "This water chestnut must be peeled to taste. Why did you put the whole water chestnut in your mouth and chew it?" He knew that he had made a mistake. , but said seriously: "I just came to the south, and I am not accustomed to the climate. I even ate the shells in order to clear away the heat and relieve the fire." The host shook his head and said, "Why haven't we heard of it? You have this thing over there. "A lot?" The man replied, "There are so many of them. They are everywhere in front of and behind the mountains." The owner couldn't help but laugh. Another time, he and a friend were shopping and walked to the vegetable market. They saw a man selling ginger. The man had never seen how ginger grows, so he asked: "How much ginger can grow on a tree in a year?" The ginger seller and the people around him laughed. They said, "Ginger grows in the ground." , how can it be grown on a tree?" He insisted on arguing with others: "You are really stupid, ginger is grown on a tree, how could I not know? Our neighbor has a ginger tree, don't you believe it? Ask?" Although he said this, he felt guilty because he knew that his neighbor did not have a ginger tree at all, and he was just trying to save himself. His friends knew in their hearts that he was pretending to understand, so they deliberately said to everyone: "How could a learned man like him not know that ginger grows in the ground? He is just testing you to see if you can You must not dare to insist on your own opinions. If you are right, you must dare to correct it. Only in this way can you make progress!" The man blushed after hearing what his friend said. Not understanding means pretending to understand: You clearly don’t understand, but you still pretend to be proficient.