Raising the Dead 起死回生

The Chinese idiom 起死回生 (qi3 si3 hui2 sheng1) literally means bring the dying back to life.

Long long ago, there was a famous travelling doctor named Bian Que who traveled far and wide across China to collect medicine to cure patients. One day, when passing through the State of Guo he heard about the sudden death of the prince of the State.

He visited the palace and asked an official whether he may view the body of the prince. The official agreed to his request. After examining the prince, the Bian Que concluded that the prince was not dead, but instead suffering a strange and debilitating illness. Bian told the official he could save the prince and bring him back to life and asked the official for an audience with the King. At first the official objected, but Bian was so insistent that the official eventually caved in and escorted Bian to the King.

Since there was no better alternative, the King reluctantly allowed Bian to treat the prince. Bian used acupuncture and gave the prince some herbal medicine. The prince immediately responded to this treatment and within a short space of time the prince was even able to sit up. Before he departed, Bian left some additional medicine and told the prince to take one dose of the medicine daily for the next 20 days. The prince duly followed the doctor's instructions and after 20 days he was fully recovered from his illness.

Often people use the Chinese idiom 起死回生 (qi3 si3 hui2 sheng1) to praise the skills of an excellent doctor. In this context, the English idiom snatch someone from the jaws of death has a very similar or equivalent meaning.

However, the Chinese idiom 起死回生 (qi3 si3 hui2 sheng1) can also be used in non-medical situations wher something miraculous is required to reverse a bad trend of events. In this context, the English idiom work a miracle is a more appropriate match.