tolerating wrongs brings disaster; to nurse a viper in one's bosom
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to tolerate evil brings harm upon oneself; to let a problem fester until it becomes a disaster; to nurse a viper in one's bosom
formalThis idiom originates from the literal meaning of letting a skin abscess (痈) grow untreated until it becomes a serious illness (患). It serves as a warning against being overly lenient with problems or bad people, which ultimately leads to greater disasters. Also expressed as 养痈遗患.
Rú如
guǒ果
duì对
cuò错
wù误
cǎi采
qǔ取
yǎng养
yōng痈
chéng成
huàn患
de的
tài态
dù度
，
zuì最
zhōng终
huì会
chī吃
dà大
kuī亏
。
If you take a laissez-faire attitude toward mistakes, you will suffer great losses in the end.
Zhè这
jiàn件
shì事
bì必
xū须
jí及
shí时
chǔ处
lǐ理
，
bù不
néng能
yǎng养
yōng痈
chéng成
huàn患
。
This matter must be dealt with promptly; we cannot let it fester into a bigger problem.
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Lǐng领
dǎo导
rén人
yǎng养
yōng痈
chéng成
huàn患
，
zuì最
zhōng终
dǎo导
zhì致
le了
gōng公
sī司
de的
pò破
chǎn产
。
The leadership's negligence allowed problems to fester, ultimately leading to the company's bankruptcy.