良藥苦口

Chinese

	effective medicine; effective solution; good solution	to be bitter to the taste; to admonish earnestly
trad. (良藥苦口)	良藥	苦口
simp. (良药苦口)	良药	苦口
Literally: “good medicine tastes bitter”.

Etymology

The analogy is found in Hanfeizi:

夫良藥苦於口，而智者勸而飲之，知其入而已己疾也。忠言拂於耳，而明主聽之，知其可以致功也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

夫良药苦于口，而智者劝而饮之，知其入而已己疾也。忠言拂于耳，而明主听之，知其可以致功也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Han Feizi, circa 2^nd century BCE

Fú liángyào kǔ yú kǒu, ér zhìzhě quàn ér yǐn zhī, zhī qí rù ér yǐ jǐ jí yě. Zhōngyán fú yú ěr, ér míngzhǔ tīng zhī, zhī qí kěyǐ zhì gōng yě. [Pinyin]

Good medicine is bitter to taste, but a wise person tries his best to drink it, for he knows that it can cure his illness. Sincere advice grates on the ears, but a wise ruler listens to it, for he knows it can bring about success.

The same analogy is also found in Shiji and Shuoyuan.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): liángyàokǔkǒu
(Zhuyin): ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄧㄠˋ ㄎㄨˇ ㄎㄡˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): loeng⁴ joek⁶ fu² hau²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: liángyàokǔkǒu [Phonetic: liángyàokúkǒu]
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄤˊ ㄧㄠˋ ㄎㄨˇ ㄎㄡˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: liángyàokǔkǒu
  - Wade–Giles: liang²-yao⁴-kʻu³-kʻou³
  - Yale: lyáng-yàu-kǔ-kǒu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: liangyawkuukoou
  - Palladius: лянъяокукоу (ljanʺjaokukou)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ljɑŋ³⁵ jɑʊ̯⁵¹ kʰu²¹⁴⁻³⁵ kʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: loeng⁴ joek⁶ fu² hau²
  - Yale: lèuhng yeuhk fú háu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: loeng⁴ joek⁹ fu² hau²
  - Guangdong Romanization: lêng⁴ yêg⁶ fu² heo²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lœːŋ²¹ jœːk̚² fuː³⁵ hɐu̯³⁵/

Idiom

良藥苦口

(figuratively) good advice may be uncomfortable to hear

Descendants

→ Japanese: 良薬は口に苦し (ryōyaku wa kuchi ni nigashi) (calque)