【成語來源】?

have one foot in the grave
病入膏肓

In the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋時期,770-476 BC), King Jing of the State of Jin (晉國) fell ill. And he heard that there was a doctor of exceptional skill, so he dispatched person to invite the doctor.
春秋時期,晉景公有一次得了重病,聽說秦國有一個醫(yī)術(shù)很高明的醫(yī)生,便專程派人去請來。

One night he dreamed that the disease turned into two little kids talking beside him.
有一晚,晉景公恍惚中做了個夢。夢見了兩個小孩,正悄悄地在他身旁說話。

One said, “I’m afraid the doctor will hurt us.”
一個說:“那個高明的醫(yī)生馬上就要來了,我看我們這回難逃了,我們躲到什么地方去呢?”

The other said, “Do not worry. We can hide above ‘huang’ and below ‘gao’. Then the doctor will be able to do nothing to us.”
另一個小孩說道:“這沒什么可怕的,我們躲到肓的上面,膏的下面,無論他怎樣用藥,都奈何我們不得?!?/div>

The next day, having examined the king, the doctor said, ‘Your disease is incurable, I am afraid, Your Majesty. It’ above huang and below gao, where no medicine can reach.’
翌日,秦國的名醫(yī)到了,立刻被請進了晉景公的臥室替晉景公治病。診斷后,那醫(yī)生對晉景公說:“這病已沒辦法治了。疾病在肓之上,膏之下,用灸法攻治不行,扎針又達不到,吃湯藥,其效力也達不到。這病是實在沒法子治了?!?/div>

The idiom indicates a hopeless condition.
這個成語意喻事情到了無可挽回的地步。

【文化鏈接】

英文中“病入膏肓”可以說成“have one foot in the grave”,就是“一只腳在墳?zāi)估铩钡囊馑?,形容一個人已經(jīng)行將就木,病的很重。這個短語與中文一樣,可以引申指“事態(tài)很嚴(yán)重”,比如可以說“某國經(jīng)濟已經(jīng)病入膏肓”就可以說“……economy already has one foot in the grave”。