Liu Zongyuan was ill. He called a famous doctor for diagnosis¹ and treatment. The doctor said: "Your spleen is swollen². You will get well by taking good quality fining (poris cocos)."

 

Liu Zongyuan sent someone to buy fining from a herbal medicine shop, boiled it and drank the decoction. However, his illness was not relieved, but turned worse instead.

 

Thinking that the doctor had prescribed the wrong medicine, he called and reproved him, asking what was the matter.

 

The doctor didn't believe this. He poured out the dregs of the decoction from the pot and examined them. To his surprise, they were not fining, but just dried sweet potatoes, dyed and processed.

 

The doctor sighed and said: "The medicine seller is a swindler. The medicine taker does not know head or tail of it. Illness cannot be cured by the doctor alone."

 

柳宗元患病，请来一位名医诊治。医生说：“你的脾脏肿大，吃些上等的获等就会好的!”

 

柳宗元派人去药店买来获菩，煎成汤药喝了下去。哪知道病情不但没有减轻，反而更加重了。

 

柳宗元以为是医生误用了药，就把医生叫来，责问他是怎么回事。

 

医生不信自己误用了药，把药罐里的药渣倒出来验看。原来不是获荃，而是经过加工染色的老山芋干儿。

 

医生叹了口气说：“卖药的是个骗子，吃药的又不识货，光靠医生是治不好病的!”

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