諺語 · a single proverb
是藥三分毒
Simplified: 是药三分毒
What does 是藥三分毒 (shì yào sān fēn dú) mean?
是藥三分毒 (shì yào sān fēn dú) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語). Word for word it reads "Every medicine carries three parts poison." In use it means: All medicines, even beneficial ones, have side effects and potential toxicity. This proverb warns against over-reliance on pharmaceuticals and encourages using the minimum effective dose while prioritizing lifestyle and dietary changes. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Metal note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rooster.
Literally: "Every medicine carries three parts poison."
The reading
No remedy is purely benign. Even the gentlest herb, taken too long or in the wrong context, creates imbalance. This folk saying is a guardrail against the instinct to medicate every discomfort. It counsels restraint and reminds both patients and practitioners that the body has its own recovery capacity. Reaching for a pill should be the second move, after asking whether rest, food, or time might serve better.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional folk medical proverb, echoed in Shennong Bencao Jing classification principles
Sits beside
井底之蛙
jǐng dǐ zhī wā
Someone with an extremely narrow view of the world, who mistakes the small circle of sky above the well for the whole sky.
冰凍三尺，非一日之寒
bīng dòng sān chǐ, fēi yī rì zhī hán
Nothing deep-a skill, a habit, a ruin-forms overnight.
心急吃不了熱豆腐
xīn jí chī bù liǎo rè dòu fu
Impatience will not speed things up.
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Humility & Self-Mastery, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Rooster, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 是藥三分毒 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 是藥三分毒 (shì yào sān fēn dú) is a colloquial saying (súyǔ 俗語), and it comes from Traditional folk medical proverb, echoed in Shennong Bencao Jing classification principles. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 是藥三分毒?
In Mandarin it is shì yào sān fēn dú. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 是藥三分毒 aloud in Mandarin.