病入膏肓
- Literal
- the illness enters the gao and the huang
- Figurative
- For an illness to be past all cure; said of a patient, a business, or a problem that is too far gone to be saved.
Where does 病入膏肓 come from?
It is told in the 《左传》. Duke Jing of Jin, gravely ill, asked the state of Qin for a doctor, and Qin sent the physician Huan. Before he arrived, the duke dreamed that his illness turned into two boys: one feared this good doctor would harm them, and the other replied that if they settled above the huang and below the gao, between the heart and the diaphragm, he could do nothing to them. On arriving, the physician said the illness could no longer be treated: it lay right there, where no remedy reaches. The duke sent him home laden with gifts. Today it is said of whatever is past saving.
Source (出处): 《左传·成公十年》
How is 病入膏肓 used? Two examples
- 这家工厂亏损了好几年，早已病入膏肓，最后只能关门。
The factory had been losing money for years, was long past saving, and in the end it had to close.
- 问题刚冒头时没人管，等到病入膏肓才想起来补救。
Nobody dealt with the problem when it first surfaced, and only once it was beyond repair did anyone think to fix it.
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