灵丹妙药 líng dān miào yào magic bullet

Explanation

比喻能够解决一切难题的有效方法，多用于否定句。

A metaphor for an effective method that can solve all difficult problems. It is mostly used in negative sentences.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有一位名医叫孙思邈，他医术高明，救死扶伤，深受百姓爱戴。一天，一位年轻的母亲抱着她生病的女儿来到孙思邈的医馆求医。小女孩病得非常严重，高烧不退，全身无力，当地许多郎中都束手无策。年轻的母亲抱着最后的希望来到这里。孙思邈仔细检查了小女孩的病情，发现她患的是一种罕见的疾病，这种病当时并没有特效药。孙思邈思前想后，决定尝试一种新的治疗方法，他用自己采集的各种草药，配制成一种药方，虽然不能说是灵丹妙药，但对小女孩的病情确有奇效。经过几天的治疗，小女孩的病情逐渐好转，最后痊愈出院，年轻的母亲感激涕零，从此孙思邈的名气更大了。这个故事说明，即使没有灵丹妙药，只要肯动脑筋，肯努力，也能找到解决问题的办法。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu yī wèi míng yī jiào sūn sī miǎo, tā yī shù gāo míng, jiù sǐ fú shāng, shēn shòu bǎi xìng ài dài. yī tiān, yī wèi nián qīng de mǔ qīn bào zhe tā shēng bìng de nǚ ér lái dào sūn sī miǎo de yī guǎn qiú yī. xiǎo nǚ háibìng de fēi cháng yán zhòng, gāo shāo bù tuì, quán shēn wú lì, dāng dì xǔ duō láng zhōng dōu shù shǒu wú cè. nián qīng de mǔ qīn bào zhe zuì hòu de xī wàng lái dào zhè lǐ. sūn sī miǎo zǐ xì jiǎn chá le xiǎo nǚ háibìng de qíng bìng, fā xiàn tā huàn de shì yī zhǒng hǎn jiàn de jí bìng, zhè zhǒng bìng dāng shí bìng méi yǒu tè xiào yào. sūn sī miǎo sī qián xiǎng hòu, jué dìng cháng shì yī zhǒng xīn de zhì liáo fāng fǎ, tā yòng zì jǐ cǎi jí de gè zhǒng cǎo yào, pèi zhì chéng yī zhǒng yào fāng, suī rán bù néng shuō shì líng dān miào yào, dàn duì xiǎo nǚ háibìng de qíng bìng què yǒu qí xiào. jīng guò jǐ tiān de zhì liáo, xiǎo nǚ háibìng de qíng bìng zhú jiàn hǎo zhuǎn, zuì hòu quán yù chū yuàn, nián qīng de mǔ qīn gǎn jī tì líng, cóng cǐ sūn sī miǎo de míng qì gèng dà le. zhège gù shì shuō míng, jí shǐ méi yǒu líng dān miào yào, zhǐ yào kěn dòng nǎo jīn, kěn nǔ lì, yě néng zhǎo dào jiě jué wèntí de bàn fǎ.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a famous doctor named Sun Simiao, who was a skilled physician who saved lives and was deeply loved by the people. One day, a young mother brought her sick daughter to Sun Simiao's clinic for treatment. The little girl was very ill, with a persistent high fever and weakness, and many local physicians were helpless. The young mother came here with her last hope. Sun Simiao carefully examined the little girl's condition and found that she suffered from a rare disease for which there was no effective medicine at the time. Sun Simiao thought hard and decided to try a new treatment method, using various herbs that he himself collected to formulate a prescription, which although not a magic bullet, did have a miraculous effect on the little girl's condition. After several days of treatment, the little girl's condition gradually improved and she was finally discharged from the hospital, her mother weeping with gratitude, and Sun Simiao's reputation grew even greater. This story shows that even without a magic bullet, as long as one is willing to think and work hard, ways can be found to solve problems.

Usage

常用于否定句，表示没有简单易行的办法。

cháng yòng yú fǒuding jù, biǎoshì méiyǒu jiǎndān yìxíng de bànfǎ

Often used in negative sentences to indicate that there is no simple and easy solution.

Examples

• 这可不是什么灵丹妙药，能立刻解决问题。

  zhè kě bù shì shén me língdānmiàoyào, néng lìkè jiějué wèntí.

  This is not some magic bullet that can solve the problem immediately.

• 别指望有灵丹妙药能一劳永逸地解决所有问题。

  bié zhǐwàng yǒu língdānmiàoyào néng yīláoyìyì de jiějué suǒyǒu wèntí

  Don't expect a magic bullet to solve all problems once and for all.

Related Idioms

• 妙计

• 良方

Opposite Idioms

• 无计可施

• 束手无策