Chinese Wisdom Stories · Volume 1 · Story guide

讳疾忌医Hiding Illness from the Doctor

huì jí jì yī

HSK4-成语故事

A doctor tells a duke he is ill. The duke says he is fine. The doctor comes back twice more, each time saying the illness has gone deeper — and each time the duke is more annoyed.

Where this story comes from

《韩非子·喻老》

Hanfeizi, chapter “Yu Lao”

The story

扁鹊见蔡桓公,说病在皮肤,现在治很容易。蔡桓公说自己没病。扁鹊第二次来,说病已经到肌肉;第三次,说病已经到肠胃。蔡桓公一次比一次不高兴。第四次,扁鹊远远看见他就转身走了——病已经到骨髓,治不了了。

What the idiom means

讳疾忌医(huì jí jì yī)比喻隐瞒自己的缺点或错误,不愿意接受批评和帮助,结果问题越来越严重。

To hide an illness from the doctor — denying your flaws until they become incurable.

How to use it

有问题就要承认,讳疾忌医只会让事情越来越糟。

yǒu wèn tí jiù yào chéng rèn , huì jí jì yī zhǐ huì ràng shì qíng yuè lái yuè zāo 。

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Part of the Chinese Wisdom Stories series