During the Spring and Autumn period, Duke Jing of Jin fell gravely ill. Hearing that the state of Qin had a highly skilled physician, he sent a special envoy to summon him.
Before the physician arrived, Duke Jing of Jin drifted into a restless dream
One said, "That brilliant doctor is coming soon. I think we can't escape this time. Where should we hide?" The other child replied, "Nothing to fear. Let's hide above the huang and below the gao. No matter what medicine he uses, he won't be able to touch us."
Soon after, the renowned physician from the state of Qin arrived and was immediately ushered into Duke Jing of Jin's bedchamber to treat him. After examining the duke, the physician said, "This illness is beyond cure. The disease lies above the diaphragm and below the heart—acupuncture cannot reach it, moxibustion cannot treat it, and herbal medicine's effects cannot penetrate it. There is truly no way to heal this."
After hearing this, Duke Jing of Jin thought to himself, 'The physician's words have indeed confirmed the conversation between the two children in my dream.' He nodded and said, 'Your medical skill is truly remarkable!' Then he ordered a generous gift be sent to the physician and let him return to the State of Qin.
"The idiom 'Beyond Cure' refers to a disease that has become critically severe and beyond treatment, also used as a metaphor for a situation that has reached an irreparable point."
Source: *Zuo Zhuan*, "Duke Cheng's Tenth Year"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "病入膏肓" came to describe a disease that has become critically severe and beyond treatment, also used as a metaphor for a situation that has reached an irreparable point.