Lord Ye's love of the dragon 　 Professed love of what one really fears

In the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), there lived in the State of Chu a duke whom people address as Lord Ye. It's said that this Lord Ye was very fond of dragons. His home was a world of dragons. The walls had dragons painted on them. The beams, pillars, doors and the windows were all carved with dragons. What's more, the pendant on his robe and his drinking cup both took the shape of a dragon.

On learning all this, the real dragon in heaven heard of this Lord Ye, he was deeply moved. He decided to visit Lord Ye to thank him. So one stormy night, the real dragon descended to earth. He poked his head in at the window and swung his tail into the hall of the house.

You might think Lord Ye was very happy to see a real dragon. But, actually, at the very sight of the creature, he was scared out of his wits and ran away as fast as he could.

From then on, people knew that Lord Ye only loved pictures or carvings which look like dragons, not the real dragon.

The idiom originates from this fable. It is now used to ridicule a person whose professed love or support for something cannot stand the test of reality.