亡羊补牢

• 拼音: wáng yáng bǔ láo
• 汉字拆解: 亡 = pictograph of a person hiding behind a wall — to flee, perish; 羊 = pictograph of a sheep; 补 = 衤(clothing) + 甫 (phonetic) — to patch; 牢 = 宀 (roof) + 牛 (ox) — a pen or enclosure

含义

To mend the fold after a sheep has gone missing; better late than never. A proverb meaning it's not too late to correct a mistake even after it has happened.

A classical four-character proverb (成语). Used to encourage someone to take corrective action after a problem has already occurred — acknowledging that while the initial loss cannot be undone, further damage can still be prevented. Carries a pragmatic, optimistic message.

例句

1. 这次数据泄露虽然造成了损失，但亡羊补牢，及时升级安全系统仍然十分必要。
2. 他意识到错误之后立刻道歉，亡羊补牢，还是来得及的。
3. 与其事后亡羊补牢，不如提前做好风险防范。

用法指南

语境: proverb, advice, crisis management

语气: pragmatic

正确说法

• 现在改变策略还不算晚，亡羊补牢，为时未晚。(It's not too late to change strategy now — better late than never.)
• 发现问题就要马上补救，亡羊补牢嘛。(As soon as you spot the problem, fix it right away — that's the spirit of mending the fold.)

错误说法

• 将亡羊补牢理解为'一切都来不及了'的悲观表达 — the idiom is optimistic; it means corrective action is still worthwhile, not futile

起源与历史

From the ancient Chinese text 战国策 (Strategies of the Warring States). A man's sheep escaped through a hole in the fence; neighbours advised him to mend it. He did — and suffered no further loss. Moral: correcting a mistake after it happens is still worthwhile.

文化背景

时代: Warring States (475–221 BC)

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal