Lord Ye Loves Dragons
Updated 2026-08-05
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The tale from the New Account of Tales of the World describes Lord Ye of the state of Chu, who decorated his house with dragon motifs and claimed to love dragons. When a real dragon came to visit, he fled in terror. The story is a classical illustration of the gap between stated and revealed preference: what people say they want often diverges from what they choose when the object becomes real and carries real cost.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Test with behavior: judge demand by what people pay or do, not by what they say. - Expose the cost: put the real price or effort in front of users before trusting their enthusiasm. - Watch the escape: treat avoidance at the moment of delivery as the honest signal.
Anchor fast decisions
Stated preferences are cheap to express and are shaped by self-image and social desirability. Real preferences are revealed only when a choice carries cost, because cost forces trade-offs. When the object finally appears with its full requirements attached, the stated preference meets that cost and either survives or collapses, and the collapse is the informative event.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B2%88%E8%AB%B8%E6%A2%81verified
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