Empathy for a Toothache

Teochew idiom:

ki2tian3 zian3 zai1 ki2tian3 nang5

齒疼正知齒疼儂

“Only when your own teeth hurt will you understand someone with a toothache“

Unless you yourself have suffered a certain pain, you will not fully understand someone else who is living with that pain. This idiom is a call to be empathetic, and a reminder that we should try to see things from the other party’s point of view.

Posted on 2020-12-18 00:00:00 +0000