The renowned physician Bian Que once stood before Duke Huan of Cai and said, “You are ill. The disease lies in your skin. If left untreated, it will worsen.” The duke laughed. “I am not sick.” After Bian Que left, the duke remarked, “Doctors love to treat those who aren’t ill, claiming it as their merit.”
Ten days later, Bian Que returned. “The disease has reached your muscles,” he warned. The duke ignored him, displeased. Another ten days passed. “It’s now in your stomach,” Bian Que urged. Again, the duke refused to listen.
After yet another ten days, Bian Que merely glanced at the duke and walked away. Puzzled, the duke sent a messenger. Bian Que explained, “When illness is in the skin, it can be treated with heat. In the muscles, with acupuncture. In the stomach, with medicine. But once it reaches the marrow, it is beyond cure. Your duke’s illness has reached the marrow. I can do no more.”
Five days later, the duke was seized with pain. He sent for Bian Que, but the physician had already fled to Qin. Soon after, the duke died.
—Small problems, ignored, become great tragedies. The wise act before it’s too late.