諺語 · a single proverb
藥補不如食補
Simplified: 药补不如食补
What does 藥補不如食補 (yào bǔ bù rú shí bǔ) mean?
藥補不如食補 (yào bǔ bù rú shí bǔ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "Medicinal supplementation is not as good as food supplementation." In use it means: Nourishing the body through proper daily eating is more effective and sustainable than relying on medicine or tonics. Prevention through diet surpasses treatment through drugs. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Wood note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Rabbit.
Literally: "Medicinal supplementation is not as good as food supplementation.."
The reading
The pharmacy is where you go after the kitchen has failed you. Every meal is a quiet act of medicine that never announces itself as such. The body does not distinguish between nourishment and treatment when the food is right. What arrives on the plate three times a day has more cumulative power than anything that comes in a bottle once a week. Healing begins at the stove, not the clinic.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Traditional Chinese medicine dietary principle, rooted in Huangdi Neijing philosophy
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 Rabbit, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 藥補不如食補 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 藥補不如食補 (yào bǔ bù rú shí bǔ) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語), and it comes from Traditional Chinese medicine dietary principle, rooted in Huangdi Neijing philosophy. 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 藥補不如食補?
In Mandarin it is yào bǔ bù rú shí bǔ. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 藥補不如食補 aloud in Mandarin.