have one foot in the grave

病入膏肓

In the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋时期，770-476 BC)， King Jing of the State of Jin (晋国) fell ill. And he heard that there was a doctor of exceptional skill， so he dispatched person to invite the doctor.

春秋时期，晋景公有一次得了重病，听说秦国有一个医术很高明的医生，便专程派人去请来。

One night he dreamed that the disease turned into two little kids talking beside him.

有一晚，晋景公恍惚中做了个梦。梦见了两个小孩，正悄悄地在他身旁说话。

One said， “I’m afraid the doctor will hurt us.”

一个说：“那个高明的医生马上就要来了，我看我们这回难逃了，我们躲到什么地方去呢?”

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.”

另一个小孩说道：“这没什么可怕的，我们躲到肓的上面，膏的下面，无论他怎样用药，都奈何我们不得。”

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，秦国的名医到了，立刻被请进了晋景公的卧室替晋景公治病。诊断后，那医生对晋景公说：“这病已没办法治了。疾病在肓之上，膏之下，用灸法攻治不行，扎针又达不到，吃汤药，其效力也达不到。这病是实在没法子治了。”

The idiom indicates a hopeless condition.

这个成语意喻事情到了无可挽回的地步。

英文中“病入膏肓”可以说成“have one foot in the grave”，就是“一只脚在坟墓里”的意思，形容一个人已经行将就木，病的很重。这个短语与中文一样，可以引申指“事态很严重”，比如可以说“某国经济已经病入膏肓”就可以说“……economy already has one foot in the grave”。