治标不治本 Treat the symptoms, not the root cause
Explanation
比喻只处理表面问题，不解决根本问题。
To only address superficial problems without solving the root cause.
Origin Story
从前，有一个村庄经常发生火灾。村民们每次都忙着救火，但火灾却一直不断。后来，一位智者来到村庄，发现村庄的房屋大多是用易燃材料建造的，并且缺乏防火措施。智者建议村民们从根本上解决问题，比如更换防火材料，加强防火措施。村民们采纳了智者的建议，建造了更加安全的房屋，并加强了防火意识，从此火灾就很少发生了。这个故事告诉我们，解决问题要治本，而不是仅仅治标。
Once upon a time, a village was frequently plagued by fires. Every time, the villagers rushed to put out the fires, but the fires continued incessantly. Later, a wise man came to the village and discovered that most of the houses in the village were built with flammable materials and lacked fire prevention measures. The wise man suggested that the villagers solve the problem fundamentally, such as changing fireproof materials and strengthening fire prevention measures. The villagers adopted the wise man's suggestions, built safer houses, and strengthened their fire prevention awareness, and since then, fires have rarely occurred. This story tells us that to solve problems, we must address the root cause, not just the symptoms.
Usage
作宾语、定语；用于处事
Used as an object or attributive; used in dealing with things
Examples
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头痛医头，脚痛医脚，治标不治本。
tóu tòng yī tóu, jiǎo tòng yī jiǎo, zhì biāo bù zhì běn
Treat the symptoms, not the cause.
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他们只注重眼前的利益，只顾治标不治本，没有考虑长远的发展。
tāmen zhǐ zhòngzhù yǎnqián de lìyì, zhǐ gù zhì biāo bù zhì běn, méiyǒu kǎolǜ chángyuǎn de fāzhǎn
They only focus on immediate benefits and only treat the symptoms without considering long-term development.