yinzhenzhike: 饮鸩止渴 - Drinking Poison to Quench Thirst

• Keywords: yinzhenzhike, 饮鸩止渴, Chinese idiom for short-sightedness, drink poison to quench thirst meaning, Chinese chengyu, self-destructive solution, temporary fix disastrous consequences, Chinese proverbs
• Summary: The Chinese idiom (chengyu) 饮鸩止渴 (yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě) literally translates to “drinking poison to quench thirst.” It vividly describes the folly of using a disastrous, self-destructive method to solve an immediate problem, only to face much greater ruin in the long run. This page explores the meaning, cultural origins, and modern usage of this powerful expression, providing clear examples for learners of Mandarin Chinese.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě
• Part of Speech: Chengyu (成语) / Idiom
• HSK Level: N/A
• Concise Definition: To seek a temporary solution that will cause a much bigger disaster later.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine you are dying of thirst. You find a bottle, but you know it contains poison. You drink it anyway just to get a moment of relief, fully aware that it will kill you shortly after. That's 饮鸩止渴. It's about a desperate, foolish choice that trades a short-term gain for a long-term catastrophe.

• 饮 (yǐn): To drink. This character is composed of 食 (shí, food) and a component suggesting “to receive” or “to be open”.
• 鸩 (zhèn): A legendary poisonous bird. The feathers of this bird, when soaked in liquor, were said to create a deadly poison. In this idiom, it simply means “poison”.
• 止 (zhǐ): To stop or to cease. The character is a pictogram of a foot, representing coming to a halt.
• 渴 (kě): Thirsty. The left side is the “water” radical (氵), and the right side provides the sound.

Together, these characters form a very literal and graphic image: 饮 (drink) 鸩 (poison) 止 (to stop) 渴 (thirst).

The idiom 饮鸩止渴 originates from the Book of the Later Han (《后汉书·霍谞传》), a history of the Han Dynasty. A general was advised not to execute an official who had popular support, even though the official had committed a crime. The advisor warned that executing him would quell the immediate problem but would incite a larger rebellion, which would be like “drinking poison to quench thirst.” This story embeds a core cautionary principle in Chinese culture: the danger of short-sightedness (鼠目寸光 - shǔ mù cùn guāng) and the pursuit of quick, superficial gains (急功近利 - jí gōng jìn lì). It warns that true solutions must consider long-term consequences. A Western concept like “robbing Peter to pay Paul” is similar in that it describes solving one problem by creating another. However, 饮鸩止渴 is far more severe. Robbing Peter creates a new debt, but drinking poison leads to certain death. This idiom carries a sense of finality and utter self-destruction that is much stronger than its English counterparts. It highlights a deep-seated cultural value placed on foresight and sustainable planning.

饮鸩止渴 is a formal idiom used in writing, political commentary, business analysis, and serious discussions. You would not use it to describe eating a whole pizza and feeling sick later. The consequences must be severe and disastrous.

• In Business and Economics: Often used to criticize companies that sacrifice quality or ethics for short-term profits, or governments that enact unsustainable economic policies (like printing too much money to cover debt).
• In Political Commentary: Used to describe policies that provide immediate stability but will lead to future crisis, such as appeasing an aggressor or suppressing dissent with force.
• In Personal Advice: Used in a very serious context to warn someone against a self-destructive path, such as relying on hard drugs to escape emotional pain or taking out a predatory loan to pay off smaller debts.

It carries a very strong negative connotation and is almost always used as a criticism or a dire warning.

• Example 1:
  • 为了短期利润而牺牲产品质量，无异于饮鸩止渴。
  • Pinyin: Wèile duǎnqī lìrùn ér xīshēng chǎnpǐn zhìliàng, wú yì yú yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě.
  • English: Sacrificing product quality for short-term profit is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst.
  • Analysis: A classic business context. The “thirst” is the need for profit, and the “poison” is the poor quality that will destroy the company's reputation and future.
• Example 2:
  • 靠借高利贷来解决财务危机，简直就是饮鸩止渴。
  • Pinyin: Kào jiè gāolìdài lái jiějué cáiwù wēijī, jiǎnzhí jiùshì yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě.
  • English: Relying on loan sharks to solve a financial crisis is simply drinking poison to quench thirst.
  • Analysis: This sentence highlights a personal financial mistake. The immediate “thirst” (lack of money) is quenched, but the high-interest loan (“poison”) will lead to financial ruin.
• Example 3:
  • 这家公司为了降低成本而大量裁员，虽然暂时保住了利润，但从长远来看，这是饮鸩止渴。
  • Pinyin: Zhè jiā gōngsī wèile jiàngdī chéngběn ér dàliàng cáiyuán, suīrán zànshí bǎozhù le lìrùn, dàn cóng chángyuǎn láikàn, zhè shì yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě.
  • English: This company laid off a large number of employees to reduce costs. Although it temporarily saved their profits, in the long run, this is drinking poison to quench thirst.
  • Analysis: The “poison” here is the loss of talent and morale, which will harm the company's long-term innovation and competitiveness.
• Example 4:
  • 一些国家过度开发自然资源来发展经济，这种行为是饮鸩止渴，会给子孙后代带来无穷的灾难。
  • Pinyin: Yīxiē guójiā guòdù kāifā zìrán zīyuán lái fāzhǎn jīngjì, zhè zhǒng xíngwéi shì yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě, huì gěi zǐsūn hòudài dàilái wúqióng de zāinàn.
  • English: Some countries over-exploit natural resources to develop their economy. This kind of behavior is drinking poison to quench thirst and will bring endless disaster to future generations.
  • Analysis: A perfect example in an environmental or policy context. The immediate “thirst” is economic growth, and the “poison” is environmental destruction.
• Example 5:
  • 他试图通过不断撒谎来掩盖最初的错误，但这只会让他陷入更深的困境，完全是饮鸩止渴。
  • Pinyin: Tā shìtú tōngguò bùduàn sāhuǎng lái yǎngài zuìchū de cuòwù, dàn zhè zhǐ huì ràng tā xiànrù gèng shēn de kùnjìng, wánquán shì yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě.
  • English: He tried to cover up his initial mistake by constantly lying, but this will only get him into deeper trouble; it's absolutely a case of drinking poison to quench thirst.
  • Analysis: This applies the idiom to a personal moral failing. Each lie (“poison”) provides temporary relief but ultimately destroys his credibility and makes the final consequence worse.
• Example 6:
  • 仅仅为了通过考试而死记硬背，而不去理解知识，是一种饮鸩止渴的学习方法。
  • Pinyin: Jǐnjǐn wèile tōngguò kǎoshì ér sǐjì yìngbèi, ér bù qù lǐjiě zhīshì, shì yī zhǒng yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě de xuéxí fāngfǎ.
  • English: Merely memorizing things by rote to pass an exam without understanding the knowledge is a “drinking poison to quench thirst” method of learning.
  • Analysis: In this metaphorical usage, the “thirst” is the need to pass the exam, and the “poison” is the lack of real learning, which makes the student unable to apply the knowledge later in life.
• Example 7:
  • 服用兴奋剂来提高比赛成绩，对运动员的身体是饮鸩止渴式的伤害。
  • Pinyin: Fúyòng xīngfènjì lái tígāo bǐsài chéngjī, duì yùndòngyuán de shēntǐ shì yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě shì de shānghài.
  • English: Taking stimulants to improve performance in a competition is a “drinking poison to quench thirst” type of harm to an athlete's body.
  • Analysis: Here, the idiom is used adjectivally with “式的 (shì de)” to describe the nature of the harm. The “thirst” is winning, and the “poison” is the long-term health damage.
• Example 8:
  • 这个政策或许能带来一时的平静，但它无法解决根本问题，我们不能饮鸩止渴。
  • Pinyin: Zhège zhèngcè huòxǔ néng dàilái yīshí de píngjìng, dàn tā wúfǎ jiějué gēnběn wèntí, wǒmen bùnéng yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě.
  • English: This policy might bring temporary peace, but it cannot solve the root problem. We cannot drink poison to quench our thirst.
  • Analysis: A common way to phrase a warning against a bad policy. It is used here as a verb phrase, “cannot do [this action]”.
• Example 9:
  • 你不能因为孤独就随便找个人结婚，这是对自己的人生饮鸩止渴。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ bùnéng yīnwèi gūdú jiù suíbiàn zhǎo ge rén jiéhūn, zhè shì duì zìjǐ de rénshēng yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě.
  • English: You can't just casually find someone to marry because you're lonely; this is drinking poison to quench thirst for your own life.
  • Analysis: This applies the idiom to a major life decision. The “thirst” is loneliness, and the “poison” is an unhappy, ill-suited marriage.
• Example 10:
  • 历史告诉我们，绥靖政策无异于饮鸩止渴，只会助长侵略者的野心。
  • Pinyin: Lìshǐ gàosù wǒmen, suíjìng zhèngcè wú yì yú yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě, zhǐ huì zhùzhǎng qīnlüèzhě de yěxīn.
  • English: History tells us that a policy of appeasement is tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst; it only encourages the ambitions of aggressors.
  • Analysis: A classic political/historical use of the idiom, often used in discussions of international relations. The “thirst” is a desire for peace, and the “poison” is the act of appeasement that leads to a larger war.

• Mistake 1: Using it for minor problems. Do not use 饮鸩止渴 to describe a small, easily reversible bad decision. Forgetting your umbrella and getting wet is not 饮鸩止渴. Cheating on a test, getting caught, and being expelled could be described this way because the consequence is catastrophic. The idiom implies a severe, often irreversible, negative outcome.
• Mistake 2: Overusing it in casual speech. This is a formal, literary idiom (Chengyu). While people will understand you, using it in a very casual chat with friends might sound overly dramatic or even pretentious. It's more at home in a newspaper article, a business meeting, or a serious discussion.
• “False Friend” Clarification: This is not simply “a bad idea.” A bad idea might just fail. 饮鸩止渴 is a specific type of bad idea where you achieve a short-term goal but cause your own long-term destruction in the process. The “thirst” must be quenched, even if only for a moment, by the “poison.”

• 杀鸡取卵 (shā jī qǔ luǎn) - To kill the hen to get the eggs. Very similar; describes destroying a long-term source of benefit for a small, one-time gain.
• 涸泽而渔 (hé zé ér yú) - To drain the pond to catch the fish. Another similar idiom about shortsighted destruction of a resource for immediate profit.
• 鼠目寸光 (shǔ mù cùn guāng) - A mouse's eyes see only an inch. Describes the personality trait of being short-sighted, which leads a person to make 饮鸩止渴 decisions.
• 急功近利 (jí gōng jìn lì) - Eager for quick success and short-term benefits. A common motivation behind actions described as 饮鸩止渴.
• 权宜之计 (quán yí zhī jì) - An expedient measure; a stopgap. This is a temporary solution that is not necessarily destructive. It can be a smart, necessary tactic. This serves as a useful contrast to the inherent self-destruction of 饮鸩止渴.
• 亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo) - To mend the pen after the sheep is lost. An almost opposite concept; it's about learning from a mistake to prevent future losses, whereas 饮鸩止渴 is about making a mistake that guarantees future losses.