Chinese

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effective medicine; effective solution; good solution to be bitter to the taste; to admonish earnestly
trad. (良藥苦口) 良藥 苦口
simp. (良药苦口) 良药 苦口
Literally: “good medicine tastes bitter”.

Etymology

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The analogy is found in Hanfeizi:

良藥智者忠言明主可以 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
良药智者忠言明主可以 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Han Feizi, circa 2nd century BCE
liángyào kǒu, ér zhìzhě quàn ér yǐn zhī, zhī qí rù ér yǐ jǐ jí yě. Zhōngyán fú yú ěr, ér míngzhǔ tīng zhī, zhī qí kěyǐ zhì gōng yě. [Pinyin]
Good medicine is bitter to taste, but a wise person tries his best to drink it, for he knows that it can cure his illness. Sincere advice grates on the ears, but a wise ruler listens to it, for he knows it can bring about success.

The same analogy is also found in Shiji and Shuoyuan.

Pronunciation

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Idiom

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良藥苦口

  1. (figuratively) good advice may be uncomfortable to hear

Descendants

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  • Japanese: 良薬は口に苦し (ryōyaku wa kuchi ni nigashi) (calque)