亡羊补牢 (Wáng yáng bǔ láo)
Meaning: It's not too late to act after a setback to prevent further loss.
Language: Chinese
Literally: To mend the pen after the sheep are lost
Category: Animals
Origin: From a Warring States parable: a shepherd who repairs his fence after losing sheep still saves the rest of the flock.
More idioms — Animals
- Passer du coq à l'âne — To switch topics abruptly and illogically.
- To bury your head in the sand — To refuse to face an obvious danger.
- Die Kuh vom Eis holen — To resolve a precarious situation.
- Eulen nach Athen tragen — To do something utterly pointless.
- Hummeln im Hintern haben — To be unable to sit still.
- Ser la oveja negra — To be the outcast of the family or group.
More Chinese idioms
- 杯弓蛇影 (bēi gōng shé yǐng) — To frighten yourself with imaginary fears.
- 胸有成竹 (xiōng yǒu chéng zhú) — To have a well-formed plan ready before you begin.
- 井底之蛙 (Jǐng dǐ zhī wā) — Someone with a narrow, limited worldview.
- 守株待兔 (shǒu zhū dài tù) — Vainly hoping a lucky fluke will repeat itself.
- 塞翁失马 (Sài Wēng shī mǎ) — A blessing in disguise; fortune is unpredictable.
- 狐假虎威 (Hú jiǎ hǔ wēi) — To bully others using borrowed power.
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