📖 Meaning
Good medicine is bitter to the taste. This idiom means that honest criticism or uncomfortable advice, though unpleasant to receive, is ultimately beneficial. It is often used to encourage people to accept well-intentioned criticism.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Han dynasty text "Shi Ji" (Records of the Grand Historian) by Sima Qian, where it appears in a memorial by the loyal minister Shusun Tong. He advised Emperor Gaozu of Han that sincere advice, like bitter medicine, cures faults. The full saying is often paired with "忠言逆耳" (loyal words offend the ear), forming the couplet "良药苦口利于病，忠言逆耳利于行" (bitter medicine cures illness; offensive words improve conduct).
💡 Example Usage
老师的话虽然不好听，但良药苦口，对你以后的发展肯定有帮助。
Although the teacher's words were hard to hear, good medicine is bitter to the taste — they will surely help your future development.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 良药苦口
- Pinyin: liáng yào kǔ kǒu
- Literal Translation: good, medicine, bitter, mouth
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4