소 잃고 외양간 고친다
Meaning: Taking preventive action only after suffering loss; closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Language: Korean
Literally: Fix the barn after losing the cow
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Korean agricultural proverb reflecting pre-modern farming life where cattle were precious assets and losses were common.
More idioms — Daily Life
- 백지장도 맞들면 낫다 — Cooperation and teamwork make even difficult tasks easier; many hands make light work.
- работать спустя рукава — To work carelessly, half-heartedly, without proper effort or attention.
- Να πας στα τρία ρέματα — Get lost or go away; an irreverent dismissal telling someone to leave you alone.
- Φέρνω νερό στο μύλο κάποιου — Unwittingly help someone achieve their own goals while thinking you're working against th…
- att köpa grisen i säcken — To make a purchase or agreement without inspecting or understanding what you're actually…
- det är inte värt ett öre — Something is completely worthless or valueless.
More Korean idioms
- 호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다 — Speaking of someone often enough may cause them to unexpectedly appear; talk of the devil.
- 종로에서 뺨을 맞고 강남역에서 화낸다 — Venting frustration on innocent people due to humiliation elsewhere; displaced anger towa…
- 발이 넓다 — To be extremely well-connected.
- 국수를 먹다 — To attend a wedding — or, asked as a question, when will you marry?
- 바가지를 쓰다 — To be overcharged; to get ripped off.
- 비행기를 태우다 — To flatter someone over the top.
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