# 讳疾忌医

huì jí jì yī

Hide a fault and resist help

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Conceal illness and avoid treatment

**Traditional Chinese:** 諱疾忌醫

**Register:** Critical · general

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Criticize refusal to acknowledge problems or accept correction.

An illness metaphor; it should not shame anxious patients.

## Understanding the expression

A hidden illness cannot be treated effectively when the patient avoids the very help that could address it. Figuratively, the expression describes concealing a weakness and rejecting advice because acknowledgment feels uncomfortable. It commonly targets organizational failures or personal mistakes. The comparison stresses the value of facing problems early. Real medical anxiety can have complex causes, so the phrase is better used to explain avoidance than to insult a person seeking care.

## Examples

设备有问题就修，别讳疾忌医。

### Traditional Chinese

設備有問題就修，別諱疾忌醫。

shè bèi yǒu wèn tí jiù xiū ， bié huì jí jì yī 。

Repair faulty equipment instead of hiding the problem.

他对工作失误讳疾忌医。

### Traditional Chinese

他對工作失誤諱疾忌醫。

tā duì gōng zuò shī wù huì jí jì yī 。

He hides his work errors and rejects correction.

公司不能讳疾忌医，要听客户意见。

### Traditional Chinese

公司不能諱疾忌醫，要聽客戶意見。

gōng sī bù néng huì jí jì yī ， yào tīng kè hù yì jiàn 。

The company must face its problems and hear customers.

她不再讳疾忌医，主动寻求辅导。

### Traditional Chinese

她不再諱疾忌醫，主動尋求輔導。

tā bú zài huì jí jì yī ， zhǔ dòng xún qiú fǔ dǎo 。

She stopped avoiding the problem and sought guidance.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E8%AB%B1%E7%96%BE%E5%BF%8C%E9%86%AB)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=483&webMd=1&la=0)

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