病急乱投医

病急亂投醫

bìngjíluàntóuyī

idiom

Meanings

1 to turn to any doctor one can find when desperately ill
2 to try anything in a crisis; to clutch at straws

Characters

randomly; chaotically

to turn to; throw oneself toward

Examples

公司快倒闭了，老板病急乱投医。

Gōngsī kuài dǎobì le, lǎobǎn bìng jí luàn tóu yī.

With the company on the brink, the boss is grasping at any straw he can find.

考试前临时抱佛脚，是典型的病急乱投医。

Kǎoshì qián línshí bào fójiǎo, shì diǎnxíng de bìng jí luàn tóu yī.

Cramming the night before an exam is a classic case of panicking and trying anything.

遇到问题要冷静分析，别病急乱投医。

Yùdào wèntí yào lěngjìng fēnxī, bié bìng jí luàn tóu yī.

When a problem hits, analyze it calmly — don't just throw everything at the wall.

Tips

history

From 《红楼梦》 Chapter 57: '宝玉笑道：所谓病急乱投医了' — Baoyu quotes it as a ready-made saying, showing it was already idiomatic in Qing-era speech.

memory

Literal: 'illness urgent → randomly seek doctors.' The image is someone in a panic trying quack after quack because the disease is scary. Extends perfectly to any panic-driven, unfiltered search for solutions.

Stroke Order

病 bìng

急 jí

乱 luàn

投 tóu

医 yī