諺語 · a single proverb
飲鴆止渴
Simplified: 饮鸩止渴
What does 飲鴆止渴 (yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě) mean?
飲鴆止渴 (yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "drink poisoned wine to quench thirst." In use it means: Solving an immediate problem with a method that will cause far greater harm later. 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: "drink poisoned wine to quench thirst."
The reading
The thirst is real. The poison is also real. The relief is instant and the damage is permanent. Every shortcut that solves today's problem by creating tomorrow's catastrophe follows this shape. The question is never whether the thirst is genuine. It is whether the cure will kill you.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Hou Han Shu 後漢書, biography of Huo Xie 霍諝
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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 飲鴆止渴 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 飲鴆止渴 (yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Hou Han Shu 後漢書, biography of Huo Xie 霍諝. 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 飲鴆止渴?
In Mandarin it is yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 飲鴆止渴 aloud in Mandarin.