📖 Meaning
Describes someone whose vulgarity and lack of refinement are so deep-rooted that they cannot be remedied. It implies that a person's character or taste has become hopelessly common and beyond correction, much like an incurable disease.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a poem by the Song dynasty poet Su Shi, titled 'Yu Qian Seng Lü Yun Xuan' (于潜僧绿筠轩). In the poem, Su Shi writes, 'A thin person can still grow fat, but a scholar who is vulgar cannot be cured.' The poem celebrates the elegance of bamboo while criticizing vulgar tastes, expressing Su Shi's belief that while physical conditions may be reversible, a deeply ingrained vulgarity of spirit is beyond remedy.
💡 Example Usage
他整日沉迷赌博，言谈举止俗不可医。
He spends all his days gambling, and his speech and manners are so vulgar as to be incurable.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 俗不可医
- Pinyin: sú bù kě yī
- Literal Translation: vulgar, not, can, cure
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4