060Japanese proverb ことわざ
良薬は口に苦し
りょうやくはくちににがしRyōyaku wa kuchi ni nigashi
“Good medicine is bitter in the mouth.”
The meaning
The advice that heals is rarely pleasant to hear. The bitterness of honest criticism beats the sweetness of flattery.
At the origin
A maxim inherited from the Chinese classics, widely used in Japan.
The characters
- 良薬 ryōyakugood medicine
- は watopic marker
- 口
- に
- 苦し
はParticleMarks the topic: what the sentence is about — “as for…”.
In practice
When a remark stings, first look for what it might heal.
Editorial note
Classical Chinese origin.