挖肉补疮 wā ròu bǔ chuāng Cut flesh to heal wounds

Explanation

比喻用饮鸩止渴的方法来解决问题,往往会造成更大的损失。

A metaphor for a short-sighted approach to problem-solving that often leads to greater losses.

Origin Story

从前,有一个村庄遭受了严重的旱灾,庄稼颗粒无收。村长召集村民商议对策,有人提议挖肉补疮,从富裕人家征收粮食救济贫苦人家。虽然暂时解决了贫苦人家的温饱问题,但是却激化了阶级矛盾,导致了社会动荡不安。最终,村庄并没有因为这短暂的救济而恢复生机,反而更加混乱不堪。这个故事告诉我们,挖肉补疮并非长久之计,要从根本上解决问题,才能实现可持续发展。

cóngqián, yǒu yīgè cūn zhuāng zāoshòule yánzhòng de hànzāi, zhuāngjia kē lì wú shōu. cūnzhǎng zhàojí cūnmín shāngyì duìcè, yǒurén tíyì wā ròu bǔ chuāng, cóng fùyù rénjiā zhēngshōu liángshi jiùjì pínkǔ rénjiā. suīrán zànshí jiějuéle pínkǔ rénjiā de wēnbǎo wèntí, dànshì què jīhuà le jiējí màodùn, dǎozhìle shèhuì dòngdàng bù'ān. zuìzhōng, cūn zhuāng bìng méiyǒu yīnwèi zhè duǎnzàn de jiùjì ér huīfù shēngjī, fǎn'ér gèngjiā hǔnluàn bùkān. zhège gùshì gàosù wǒmen, wā ròu bǔ chuāng bìngfēi chángjiǔ zhī jì, yào cóng gēnběn shàng jiějué wèntí, cáinéng shíxiàn kěchíxù fāzhǎn.

Once upon a time, a village suffered a severe drought, and the crops failed. The village head convened the villagers to discuss countermeasures. Someone proposed a short-sighted solution: to collect food from wealthy households to relieve the impoverished ones. While this temporarily solved the food problem for the poor, it exacerbated class contradictions, leading to social unrest. Ultimately, the village did not recover from this temporary relief; instead, it became even more chaotic. This story tells us that short-sighted measures are not a long-term solution, and only by addressing the root cause can sustainable development be achieved.

Usage

用来比喻采取损害长远利益来解决眼前问题的做法。

yòng lái bǐyù cǎiqǔ sǔnhài chángqí lìyì lái jiějué yǎnqián wèntí de zuòfǎ.

It's used to describe a method that sacrifices long-term interests to solve immediate problems.

Examples

  • 为了应付眼前的危机,他们采取了挖肉补疮的办法,结果损害了长远利益。

    wèile yìngfù yǎnqián de wēijī, tāmen cǎiqǔle wā ròu bǔ chuāng de bànfǎ, jiéguǒ sǔnhài le chángqí lìyì.

    To cope with the immediate crisis, they adopted a stopgap measure that harmed long-term interests.

  • 公司为了弥补亏损,采取了挖肉补疮的措施,但最终还是没能扭转颓势。

    gōngsī wèile mǐbǔ kuīsǔn, cǎiqǔle wā ròu bǔ chuāng de cuòshī, dàn zuìzhōng háishi méi néng niǔzhuǎn tuíshì.

    In order to make up for losses, the company adopted short-sighted measures that failed to reverse the decline in the end