Chinese Wisdom Stories · Volume 1 · Story guide

亡羊补牢Mending the Sheepfold

wáng yáng bǔ láo

HSK4+成语故事

A king who only listens to pleasant voices loses territory and flees. Only after paying a real price does he send for the minister who warned him.

Where this story comes from

《战国策·楚策四》「庄辛谓楚襄王」

Stratagems of the Warring States, Chu 4, “Zhuang Xin Speaks to King Xiang of Chu”

The story

庄辛劝楚襄王不要只亲近说好话的人,楚襄王不听,还把他赶走了。后来秦国真的打过来,楚襄王失去土地,逃到外地,这才想起庄辛,派人把他请回来。庄辛讲了一个羊圈破洞的故事:羊丢了,把洞补好,还不算晚。故事没有承诺失去的都能拿回来,它只说:现在补救,来得及。

What the idiom means

亡羊补牢(wáng yáng bǔ láo)指出了差错以后及时补救,还不算太晚;强调行动比自责更有用。

After losing a sheep, mend the pen — fixing a problem after a loss is not too late.

How to use it

这次考试没考好没关系,亡羊补牢,从现在开始认真复习。

zhè cì kǎo shì méi kǎo hǎo méi guān xì , wáng yáng bǔ láo , cóng xiàn zài kāi shǐ rèn zhēn fù xí 。

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Part of the Chinese Wisdom Stories series