How do you pronounce 不可救药?

不可救药 is pronounced as "bù kě jiù yào" in Mandarin Chinese.

不可救药

Q: What does 不可救药 mean?

不可救药 (bù kě jiù yào) literally means "Cannot be saved by medicine" and metaphorically means "Beyond hope of redemption or reform". It belongs to the Wisdom & Learning category of Chinese idioms.

Q: When is 不可救药 used?

不可救药 is used when His gambling addiction had reached a point where intervention seemed futile.

不可救药 (bù kě jiù yào) literally means “cannot be saved by medicine” and expresses “beyond hope of redemption or reform”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving wisdom and learning.

Also searched as: bu ke jiu yao, bu ke jiu yao,不可救药 meaning, 不可救药 in english

Beyond hope of redemption or reform

Pronunciation: bù kě jiù yào Literal meaning: Cannot be saved by medicine

Origin & Usage

This one comes from the Book of Songs, in a poem warning that when the burning grows fierce enough there is no (不可) saving it with medicine (救药). The image is of a fever past treatment, applied to a state whose rulers will not listen. It was a political warning before it was a medical one. A person or a situation past all remedy, usually with exasperation attached.

Examples

English: "His gambling addiction had reached a point where intervention seemed futile"

Chinese: 他的赌博成瘾已经到了似乎干预也无济于事的地步

Related Chinese Idioms

Similar idioms about wisdom & learning

对症下药

duì zhèng xià yào

Targeted solutions

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不相上下

bù xiāng shàng xià

Evenly matched with neither superior

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抱薪救火

bào xīn jiù huǒ

Make situation worse

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大材小用

dà cái xiǎo yòng

Waste talent on menial tasks

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围魏救赵

wéi wèi jiù zhào

Relieve pressure by attacking the source

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依依不舍

yī yī bù shě

Reluctant to part; lingering attachment

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聚沙成塔

jù shā chéng tǎ

Small things build achievement

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如醉如梦

rú zuì rú mèng

Entranced in dreamlike state

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does 不可救药 mean in English?

不可救药 (bù kě jiù yào) literally translates to “Cannot be saved by medicine” and is used to express “Beyond hope of redemption or reform”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Wisdom & Learning category.