揚湯止沸

See also: 扬汤止沸

Chinese

		hurl; to raise; to scatter	soup; hot water	to stop; prohibit; till	boil
trad. (揚湯止沸)		揚	湯	止	沸
simp. (扬汤止沸)		扬	汤	止	沸
Literally: “try to stop water from boiling by scooping it up from the pot and pouring it back”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yángtāngzhǐfèi

  (Zhuyin): ㄧㄤˊ ㄊㄤ ㄓˇ ㄈㄟˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): joeng⁴ tong¹ zi² fai³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yángtāngzhǐfèi
    • Zhuyin: ㄧㄤˊ ㄊㄤ ㄓˇ ㄈㄟˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: yángtangjhǐhfèi
    • Wade–Giles: yang²-tʻang¹-chih³-fei⁴
    • Yale: yáng-tāng-jř-fèi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yangtangjyyfey
    • Palladius: янтанчжифэй (jantančžifɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɑŋ³⁵ tʰɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩²¹⁴⁻²¹ feɪ̯⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: joeng⁴ tong¹ zi² fai³
    • Yale: yèuhng tōng jí fai
    • Cantonese Pinyin: joeng⁴ tong¹ dzi² fai³
    • Guangdong Romanization: yêng⁴ tong¹ ji² fei³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jœːŋ²¹ tʰɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡siː³⁵ fɐi̯³³/

Idiom

揚湯止沸

1. (figuratively) to implement temporary solutions that do not address the root of the problem

   • 臣罪應傾宗，禍應覆族。遭乾坤之靈，值時來之運，揚湯止沸使不燋爛。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     臣罪应倾宗，祸应覆族。遭干坤之灵，值时来之运，扬汤止沸使不燋烂。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     From: Chen Shou, Records of the Three Kingdoms, circa 3^rd century CE

     Chén zuì yìng qīng zōng, huò yìng fù zú. Zāo qiánkūn zhī líng, zhí shí lái zhī yùn, yángtāngzhǐfèi shǐ bù jiāo làn. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

• 揚湯止沸，不如去薪 / 扬汤止沸，不如去薪 (yángtāngzhǐfèi, bùrú qù xīn)

References

• “Entry #157441”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.