A young man went to an expert on gems(宝石) and wanted to learn from him. The expert shook his head. He worried that young men wouldn't have the patience to learn. In his opinion, they were always in a hurry.

The young man asked the expert many times to let him have a try. Finally the expert said, "Be here tomorrow. "The next morning the expert put a jade(翡翠) stone in the man's hand and told him to hold it. The expert then went about his work, cutting, weighing and setting gems. The man sat and waited excitedly. The following morning the expert again placed the jade stone in the man's hand and told him to hold it. On the third, fourth, and fifth day the expert repeated the action.

On the sixth day the young man still had to hold the jade stone, but he could no longer stand the silence. "Sir," he asked, "when am I going to learn something?" "You will learn," the expert replied.

Several more days went by. The man became more and more impatient. However, when the expert placed a stone in his hand one morning, the young man shouted without looking at it "This is not the same jade stone!" "You have begun to learn," the expert said with a smile.