English Original
Bianque was a famous physician in ancient China. One day, the King of Wei asked him, "You and your two brothers are all skilled in medicine. Who is the best?"
Bianque answered, "My eldest brother is the best, my second brother is next, and I am the least skilled."
The King asked, "Then why are you the most famous?"
Bianque replied, "My eldest brother treats illness when symptoms first appear, removing the cause. Only our family sees this, so he isn't widely known. My second brother treats diseases in their early stages. People think he only handles minor ailments, so his fame is local. I treat diseases when they are severe. People see me perform procedures like bloodletting or applying ointments, so they believe I'm highly skilled. Thus, my fame has spread across the country."
The King was satisfied and said, "You have given a cogent explanation."
The lesson is: Prevention is better than intervention, which is better than cure. Many fail to see this, seeking remedies only after decisions cause great loss, when it may be too late.
中文翻译
扁鹊是中国古代一位著名的医生。一天，魏文王问他：“你们兄弟三人都精通医术，谁是最好的呢？”
扁鹊回答：“我长兄最好，中兄次之，我最差。”
文王又问：“那为什么你最出名呢？”
扁鹊答道：“我长兄在病症刚显现时治病，根除病因。这只有我们家人能看见，所以他名声不广。我中兄在疾病初期进行治疗。人们以为他只能治小病，所以他的名声仅限于本地。而我则在病情严重时治病。人们看到我进行放血、敷药等治疗，便认为我医术高明。因此，我的名声传遍了全国。”
文王很满意，说道：“你的解释很有说服力。”
这个故事告诉我们：事前预防胜于事中干预，事中干预胜于事后补救。 许多人未能认识到这一点，直到错误决策造成重大损失后才寻求弥补，那时可能为时已晚。