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