饮鸩止渴 Drink poison to quench one's thirst
Explanation
比喻为了解决眼前的困难而采取错误的办法,不顾严重后果。
To use a wrong method to solve a problem without considering the serious consequences.
Origin Story
话说东汉时期,有个名叫霍谞的年轻人,他的舅舅宋光因为为人正直,得罪了权贵,被诬陷下狱。霍谞决心为舅舅申冤,写了一封信给大将军梁商,信中写道:“宋光断然不会冒着杀头的大罪去伪造诏书,那样做无异于饮鸩止渴。”梁商看中霍谞的才华,将这封信转呈给皇帝,皇帝最终查清了真相,释放了宋光。
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, a young man named Huo Xu’s uncle, Song Guang, was falsely imprisoned because of his integrity and his offending of powerful people. Huo Xu was determined to clear his uncle's name and wrote a letter to the General Liang Shang, writing: "Song Guang would never risk his life to forge the imperial edict, doing so would be no different than drinking poison to quench his thirst." Liang Shang, who appreciated Huo Xu's talent, passed this letter on to the Emperor, who eventually uncovered the truth and released Song Guang.
Usage
常用作谓语、宾语、定语;比喻用错误的办法解决问题,不顾严重后果。
It's commonly used as predicate, object, and attributive; to describe using wrong methods to solve problems without considering the serious consequences.
Examples
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他为了眼前的利益,不惜饮鸩止渴,最终损害了长远发展。
ta wei le yanqian de liyi, bu xi yin zhen zhi ke, zhongjiu sunhai le changyuan fazhan.
He sacrificed long-term development for short-term gain, which is akin to drinking poison to quench his thirst.
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这种做法只是饮鸩止渴,治标不治本。
zhe zhong zuofa zhishi yin zhen zhi ke, zhi biao bu zhi ben
This approach is just a temporary fix, not a solution to the underlying problem.