諺語 · a single proverb
心病還須心藥醫
Simplified: 心病还须心药医
What does 心病還須心藥醫 (xīn bìng hái xū xīn yào yī) mean?
心病還須心藥醫 (xīn bìng hái xū xīn yào yī) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "a sickness of the heart still needs medicine of the heart." In use it means: Emotional or psychological problems require emotional or psychological solutions; treating the mind with material remedies does not work. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.
Literally: "a sickness of the heart still needs medicine of the heart."
The reading
The ache is not in the body. The scan will come back clean and the person will still be suffering, because the instrument that hurts is not one that medicine can reach. Grief, regret, loneliness: these require a different pharmacy. The prescription is usually a person, a conversation, or a change you have been postponing.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Common folk proverb; Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢
Sits beside
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 Nature, Seasons & Health, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 心病還須心藥醫 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 心病還須心藥醫 (xīn bìng hái xū xīn yào yī) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Common folk proverb; Dream of the Red Chamber 紅樓夢. 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 心病還須心藥醫?
In Mandarin it is xīn bìng hái xū xīn yào yī. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 心病還須心藥醫 aloud in Mandarin.