Chinese language vocabulary 汉语词汇 对症下药( duì zhèng xià yào)

Zài Zhōngguó Dōnghàn mònián, yǒu yí wèi zhùmíng yīshēng míng jiào Huà Tuó. Tā de yīshù fēicháng gāomíng.
在中国东汉末年，有一位著名医生名叫华佗。他的医术非常高明。

During the final years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, there lived a famous physician named Hua Tuo, whose skill with medicine was superb.

Yí cì, yǒu liǎng gè rén dōu huàn le touting-fārè de bìng, tóngshí lái zhǎo Huà Tuó zhìbìng. Jīng guò xiángxì xúnwèn bìngqíng, xìxīn zhěnduàn hòu, Huà Tuó gěi tā liǎng rén gè kāi le yí gè yàofāng. Liǎng gè rén hùxiàng kàn le duìfāng de yàofāng hòu, gǎn dào hěn qíguài, wèn dào:” wǒmen liǎng rén dōu huàn yíyàng de bìng, wèishénme yòng de yào què bù yí yàng ne?”
一次，有两个人都患了头痛发热的病，同时来找华佗治病。经过详细询问病情，细心诊断后，华佗给他俩人各开了一个药方。两个人互相看了对方的药方后，感到很奇怪，问道：“我们两人都患一样的病，为什么用的药却不一样呢？”

One day, two men suffering from headaches and fever both came to Hua Tuo. After detailed questioning and careful diagnosis, he prescribed treatments for the two men. Upon comparing the two prescriptions, the two men were puzzled, and asked, ”The two of us are suffering from the same illness .Why are the medications you prescribed different?”

Hua Tuo replied, “Treatment depends on the specific circumstances of the patient.
Huá Tuó jiěshì shuō:” Yòng yào yào kàn bìngrén de jùtǐ bìngqíng. Suīrán nǐ èr rén bìngzhèng xiàngtóng, dàn huànbìng de yuányīn què bù tong. Yí gè rén de shēntǐ nèibù dōu méiyǒu shén shénme máobìng, yóuyú wàibù shòu liáng, gǎnmào yǐn qǐ de, suǒyǐ yào chī fāsàn yào; ér lìng yí gè rén de shēntǐ wàibù méiyǒu shénme máobìng, bìng shì yóu nèibù yǐn qǐ de, yīnwèi chī de dōngxī tài duō le, shāngshí, suǒyǐ yào chī xièyào. Huànbìng de yuányīn bù tong, dāngrán yòng yào jiù bù néng xiàngtóng le.”
华佗解释说：“用药要看病人的具体病情。虽然你二人病症相同，但患病的原因却不同。一个人的身体内部都没有什么毛病，由于外部受凉、感冒引起的，所以要吃 发散药；而另一个人的身体外部没有什么毛病，病是由内部引起的，因为吃的东西太多了，伤食，所以要吃泻药。患病的原因不同，当然用药就不能相同了。”

Although the two of you have similar illnesses, their causes are actually quite different. One has nothing wrong internally, but has contracted a cold from external causes. The other one has nothing wrong externally, but has become ill from excessive eating and drinking; an internal problem. With two different causes, of course the treatments must be different.

Words:
著名zhùmíng： famous (adj.)
医术yīshù： medical skill (n.)
诊断zhěnduàn： diagnosis (v.)
药方yàofāng： prescription (n.)
泻药xièyào： laxative (n.)
奇怪qíguài： strange (adj.)
解释jiěshì： explain (v.)
病症bìngzhèng： disease (n.)
感冒gǎnmào： cold (n.)

Meanings:

本意是指针对病症用药。后来比喻针对事物的问题所在，采取对应、有效的措施。

The original meaning of “对症下药” is to prescribe a medicine specific to the illness. Later, it was used as a metaphor to find specific ways to solve each individual problem.

Sentences:

1. Nǐ yīnggāi qù kàn yīshēng, duìzhèngxiàyào, bú yào zìjǐ luàn chīyào.
你应该去看医生，对症下药,不要自己乱吃药。

You should go to see a doctor and he will prescribe a medicine for the disease. Don’t eat medicine without prescription.

2. Xīnlǐ yīshēng yídìng yào duìzhèngxiàyào, yào xiān zhǎo chū bìngrén de xīnlǐ wèntí zài duì tā men jìnxíng zhìliáo.
心理医生一定要对症下药，要先找出病人的心理问题再对他们进行治疗。

Psychologists must suit one's methods to the situation. They should find out the patients’ mental problems and then provide treatment.