Chinese idiom · 成语
亡羊补牢
Meaning
To fix a mistake to prevent further loss; better late than never.
Character by character
Origin and story
Proverb in a political accountIn Chu Ce IV (楚策四) of Zhanguo Ce (戰國策), Zhuang Xin warns King Xiang of Chu that indulging his companions and neglecting government will endanger the state. The king rejects the warning, and Zhuang Xin leaves for Zhao. After Qin takes territory and the king is forced to flee, he recalls the adviser and asks what can be done.
Zhuang Xin answers with existing popular sayings: it is not too late to seek a hunting dog after seeing a hare, or to mend an enclosure after losing sheep. He argues that Chu still has resources with which to act. The source uses the sheep image as a proverb; it does not narrate a shepherd repeatedly losing animals to a wolf. The idiom encourages corrective action after a loss, rather than resignation or an assumption that the past can be undone.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
上次忘了备份，文件丢了；现在设置自动备份，也算是亡羊补牢。
I lost files last time because I forgot to back them up; setting up automatic backups now is a way to prevent the mistake from happening again.
The repair follows a problem and helps prevent further loss; it need not recover what was already lost.