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.
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