不可救药 bù kě jiù yào incurable

Explanation

比喻已经到了无法挽救的地步。

A metaphor for a situation that is beyond redemption.

Origin Story

西周时期，周厉王昏庸残暴，贪图享乐，不理朝政，百姓怨声载道。一位名叫凡伯的正直老臣，多次进谏劝告周厉王，希望他能改过自新，实行仁政。然而，周厉王却对凡伯的忠告置之不理，反而更加变本加厉地压迫百姓。凡伯见周厉王如此冥顽不灵，忧心如焚，痛心疾首地写下了一首诗，其中有“多将熇熇，不可救药”一句，表达了他对周厉王统治的绝望和对国家命运的担忧。这句诗后来被人们用来比喻那些已经到了无法挽救的地步的人或事。最终，周厉王由于长期暴政，激起了民愤，爆发了大规模的民众起义，周厉王被迫逃亡，后来客死异乡。这个故事告诉我们，如果一个人或一个组织已经到了不可救药的地步，那么无论采取何种措施都无法挽救，只有及早预防，防患于未然，才能避免悲剧的发生。

xī zhōu shíqī, zhōu lì wáng hūnyōng cánbào, tāntú xiǎnglè, bù lǐ zhāozhèng, bǎixìng yuānshēng zàidào。yī wèi míng wèi fán bó de zhèngzhí lǎochén, duō cì jìnjiàn quàngào zhōu lì wáng, xīwàng tā néng gǎiguò zìxīn, xíngshí rénzhèng。rán'ér, zhōu lì wáng què duì fán bó de zhōnggào zhì zhī bù lǐ, fǎn'ér gèng jiā biàn běn jiā lì de yāpò bǎixìng。fán bó jiàn zhōu lì wáng rúcǐ míngwán bù líng, yōuxīn rúfén, tòngxīn jíshǒu de xiě xià le yī shǒu shī, qízhōng yǒu “duō jiāng sū sū, bù kě jiù yào” yījù, biǎodá le tā duì zhōu lì wáng tǒngzhì de juéwàng hé duì guójiā mìngyùn de dānyōu。zhè jù shī hòulái bèi rénmen yòng lái bǐyù nàxiē yǐjīng dàole wúfǎ wǎnjiù de dìbù de rén huò shì。zuìzhōng, zhōu lì wáng yóuyú chángqī bàozhèng, jīqǐ le mínfèn, bàofā le dà guīmó de mínzhòng qǐyì, zhōu lì wáng bèipò táowáng, hòulái kè sǐ yìxiāng。zhège gùshì gàosù wǒmen, rúguǒ yīgè rén huò yīgè zǔzhī yǐjīng dàole bù kě jiù yào de dìbù, nàme wúlùn cǎiqǔ hé zhǒng cuòshī dōu wúfǎ wǎnjiù, zhǐyǒu jí zǎo yǔfáng, fánghuàn yú wèirán, cáinéng bìmiǎn bēijù de fāshēng。

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, King Li was a tyrannical and cruel ruler who indulged in pleasure and neglected the affairs of state. His people groaned under his rule. An honest old minister named Fan Bo repeatedly admonished King Li, encouraging him to repent and lead a just rule. However, King Li ignored Fan Bo's good advice and oppressed the people with even greater cruelty. Seeing King Li's incorrigibility, Fan Bo was worried and wrote a poem with deep sorrow, which includes the line "More and more it gleams, incurable." He expressed his despair over King Li's rule and his worries about the fate of the country. This verse was later used by people to describe people or things that are already incurable. Finally, King Li's long tyranny provoked the wrath of the people, and a large-scale popular uprising broke out. King Li was forced to flee and later died in exile. This story teaches us that if a person or organization is already incurable, any measures we take will not bring salvation. We must prevent and prevent future problems to avoid tragedy.

Usage

用作谓语、定语、状语；比喻事情发展到不可挽回的地步。

yòng zuò wèiyǔ, dìngyǔ, zhuàngyǔ；bǐyù shìqíng fāzhǎn dào bù kě wǎnhuí de dìbù。

Used as a predicate, attributive, and adverbial; a metaphor for a situation that is irreversible.

Examples

• 他的病已经到了不可救药的地步。

  tā de bìng yǐjīng dàole bù kě jiù yào de dìbù。

  His illness has reached the point of no return.

• 这个公司的问题已经不可救药了，只能破产清算。

  zhège gōngsī de wèntí yǐjīng bù kě jiù yào le，zhǐ néng pòchǎn qīngsuàn。

  The problems of this company are incurable; it can only be liquidated.

• 他的坏习惯已经不可救药了，无论怎么劝说都没用。

  tā de huài xíguàn yǐjīng bù kě jiù yào le，wúlùn zěnme quǎnshuō dōu méiyòng。

  His bad habits are incurable; no matter how much you persuade him, it is useless.

Related Idioms

• 无可救药

• 病入膏肓

Opposite Idioms

• 起死回生

• 药到病除