The jade is in the coffin for a good price, and the hairpin is in the dowry waiting for the time to fly.

This sentence was said by Jia Yucun in "A Dream of Red Mansions". At that time, he had not yet obtained the imperial examination. He recited these two lines of poems to express his ambition to be glorious and prosperous one day. This sentence does not explain what he wants, but uses the comparison that jade is in the coffin and no one knows it, just waiting for a better price. It is a metaphor that his current lack of talent is temporary, and as long as the time is right, he can soar into the sky.

The opening chapter of "A Dream of Red Mansions" introduces the origin of the work in the form of a myth. It is said that an unused piece of Nuwa's stone to mend the sky was abandoned at the foot of Qinggeng Peak on Wuji Cliff in Dahuang Mountain. Master Mang Miao and Master Miao Miao passed by this place and cast spells to make them spiritual and carry them down to earth. I don’t know how many lives and calamities have passed, Taoist Kongkong passed by and saw a story carved on the stone, so he was entrusted by the stone to copy it and pass it down to the world. It was passed to Cao Xueqin from time to time, and he reviewed it for ten years, adding and deleting five times before it was completed into a book.

After returning to Beijing, he worked as a clerk in charge of literature and calligraphy in a royal school, the "Right Wing Zongxue". His situation was poor and his life was difficult. In his later years, he moved to the western suburbs of Beijing, where his life became even poorer. "The paths were full of basil" and "the whole family often had porridge and wine on credit." The book "A Dream of Red Mansions" was written by Cao Xueqin in poverty after he went bankrupt and lost his family. The creation period was from the early to the thirtieth year of Qianlong's reign.

Extended information:

The first paragraph of the first chapter of "A Dream of Red Mansions", "The author Ziyun" is Cao Xueqin's preface. In this preface, Cao Xueqin appears in her true identity and tells readers about the origin of writing. According to his own words, he wrote this book based on his old dream of prosperity that he experienced in Nanjing in his early years. Because I was living in the western suburbs of Beijing, doing nothing and accomplishing nothing, I suddenly recalled all the girls in my family when I was young. I felt that their knowledge and talents far exceeded my own, and I couldn't help feeling deeply regretful.

My ancestors narrowly escaped death to create this family fortune. At that time, I was blessed, but I did not do my job properly and did not obey the discipline of my parents and teachers. As a result, when I grew up, I accomplished nothing and spent half my life in poverty. Cao Xueqin wrote this experience and remorse into a novel to tell readers that although she is unavoidable, those girls are real people in life, and their deeds must not be obscured in order to cover up her crimes. When I think of this, my heart is filled with excitement, and all difficulties are out of the question.