治病救人 (zhì bìng jiù rén) — to cure the sickness and save the patient (literal medical sense); to help someone correct their mistakes and improve (figurative, often in a moral or educational context)

Definition

A fixed four-character phrase meaning 'cure sickness, save people', used literally for doctors and figuratively for helping others correct mistakes in a caring, non-punitive way (e.g. the aim of criticism).

verb
to cure the sickness and save the patient (literal medical sense)to help someone correct their mistakes and improve (figurative, often in a moral or educational context)

Examples

  • 治病救人。
    Yī shēng de tiān zhí jiù shì zhì bìng jiù rén.
    A doctor's duty is to cure the sickness and save the patient.
  • 治病救人，。
    Pī píng de mù dì shì zhì bìng jiù rén, ér bú shì dǎ jī rén.
    The purpose of criticism is to help correct mistakes, not to attack people.
  • 治病救人。
    Wǒ men yào běn zhe zhì bìng jiù rén de tài dù bāng zhù tā gǎi zhèng cuò wù.
    We should help him correct his mistakes with the attitude of curing the sickness and saving the patient.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

治病cure sickness
治zhìcure病bìngsickness
动宾Verb + object
救人save people
救jiùsave人rénperson
动宾Verb + object

“治病” means cure sickness and “救人” means save people, so the image is helping someone recover or improve.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái治zhì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

治 has 水 (water) and 台; 台 gives the sound, and the character named a river.

Open 治 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
疒疒nèsickness
Sound part声符shēngfú
丙
丙bǐng病bìng
Same sound today

病 pairs 疒, a sickness mark, with 丙, which gives the sound; 丙 also means fire, giving a picture of lying feverishly in bed.

Open 病 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
求
求qiú救jiù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 救, 求 gives the sound, and 攴 is the action part.

Open 救 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.