饮鸩止渴 yǐn zhèn zhǐ kě

use a quick fix that brings worse harm

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. drinking poison in the hope of quenching one's thirst (idiom)
  2. 2. fig. a supposed remedy that only makes matters worse

Characters

Character Meaning
饮 yǐn HSK 3
to drink; old variant of 飲yǐn
鸩 zhèn
to poison sb; poisonous
止 zhǐ HSK 4
to stop; until; to prohibit
渴 kě HSK 3
thirsty