Chinese word

对症下药

Pronunciation

Pinyinduì zhèng xià yào

Meaning

  • verbtake targeted action

Example

我们要根据实际情况对症下药。wǒ men yào gēn jù shí jì qíng kuàng duì zhèng xià yào

We need to address the problem appropriately based on the actual situation.

Illustration for 对症下药 (take targeted action)

More examples

公司出现问题时，领导应先找出原因再对症下药。gōng sī chū xiàn wèn tí shí líng dǎo yīng xiān zhǎo chū yuán yīn zài duì zhèng xià yào

When a company has a problem, its leaders should first find the cause and then take targeted action.

Core concept

The signs of a problem guide the choice of a remedy suited to that problem.

Common phrases

  • 根据症状对症下药gēn jù zhèng zhuàng duì zhèng xià yào

    take the right action for the symptoms

  • 立即对症下药lì jí duì zhèng xià yào

    take prompt targeted action

Similar words

处理chú lǐ: Deal with a problem or situation in a practical way.
解决jiě jué: Remove a problem so that the former good condition returns.
应对yìng duì: Take action in response to a problem or changing circumstances.
针对zhēn duì: Aim an action or response at a specific person, problem, or target.

Definition in Chinese

根据实际情况或问题的具体表现，采取有针对性的处理办法。gēn jù shí jì qíng kuàng huò wèn tí de jù tí biǎo xiàn cái qǔ yǒu zhēn duì xìng de chú lǐ bàn fǎ

Word origin

对 (duì, "match") + 症 (zhèng, "symptom") + 下 (xià, "administer") + 药 (yào, "medicine") presents problem-solving through the image of treating symptoms with suitable medicine.

Usage tips

  • For everyday conversation, the idiom highlights fit rather than speed, so a quick response is not automatically a good one.

Other meanings

  • take targeted measuresverb

Opposites

  • 治标不治本zhì biāo bú zhì běnaddress the symptoms but not the root causeverb

Word lists with this word