treat both the symptoms and the root cause
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesidiom
to treat both the symptoms and the root cause; to address both immediate and fundamental issues
formalOften used in medicine, governance, policy-making, and problem-solving contexts. "标" refers to superficial symptoms or manifestations, while "本" refers to the underlying root or cause.
Zhì治
lǐ理
huán环
jìng境
wū污
rǎn染
，
bì必
xū须
cǎi采
qǔ取
biāo标
běn本
jiān兼
zhì治
de的
cè策
lüè略
。
To tackle environmental pollution, we must adopt a strategy that addresses both the symptoms and the root causes.
Zhōng中
yī医
jiǎng讲
jiu究
biāo标
běn本
jiān兼
zhì治
，
ér而
bù不
shì是
jǐn仅
jǐn仅
xiāo消
chú除
biǎo表
miàn面
de的
zhèng症
zhuàng状
。
Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes treating both the root and the branch, not just eliminating surface symptoms.
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Shè社
huì会
wèn问
tí题
de的
jiě解
jué决
xū需
yào要
biāo标
běn本
jiān兼
zhì治
，
cháng长
qī期
guī规
huà划
。
Solving social problems requires addressing both the symptoms and the root causes through long-term planning.