亡羊补牢wáng yáng bǔ láobetter late than never

1. 1.

   better late than neveridiom

2. 2.

   to act belatedlyidiom

Figurative meaning

Better late than never; to act belatedly.

Literal meaning

To mend the pen after sheep are lost.

• 亡to lose
• 羊sheep; goat
• 补to mend
• 牢(literary) pen; fold (for livestock)

The story

Zhuang Xin answers the King of Chu with a saying: looking back for the dog after seeing the hare is not too late, and mending the pen after losing sheep is not too slow.

亡羊补牢 can come before 还来得及 or 还不晚 to say that it is not too late to fix something.

1. HSK 4

   这次没考好，现在开始努力复习，亡羊补牢，还来得及。

   Zhè cì méi kǎo hǎo, xiànzài kāishǐ nǔlì fùxí, wáng yáng bǔ láo, hái láidejí.

   I didn't do well on this test, but if I start studying hard now, it's better late than never. There's still time.

2. HSK 4

   发现问题就马上改，亡羊补牢还不晚。

   Fāxiàn wèntí jiù mǎshàng gǎi, wáng yáng bǔ láo hái bù wǎn.

   When you find a problem, fix it right away. Better late than never.

1. 
   Speaker A:

   我的自行车丢了，因为我没锁。

   Wǒ de zìxíngchē diū le, yīnwèi wǒ méi suǒ.

   I lost my bike because I didn't lock it.

2. 
   Speaker B:

   你买新车了吗？

   Nǐ mǎi xīn chē le ma?

   Did you buy a new one?

3. 
   Speaker A:

   买了，也买了一个锁。

   Mǎi le, yě mǎi le yí ge suǒ.

   Yes, and I bought a lock too.

4. 
   Speaker B:

   亡羊补牢，还不晚。

   Wáng yáng bǔ láo, hái bù wǎn.

   Better late than never.

1. 1.What does 亡羊补牢 mean?

   ABetter late than neverBTo lose everythingCTo raise sheep
2. 2.Which sentence uses 亡羊补牢 correctly?

   A发现问题就马上改，亡羊补牢还不晚。B今天天气很亡羊补牢。C他亡羊补牢地吃饭。
3. 3.Which word fits best? 现在开始复习，____，还来得及。 (If you start studying now, it's better late than never.)

   A爱不释手B亡羊补牢C打草惊蛇

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Related idioms

• 一举两得yì jǔ liǎng détwo birds with one stoneHSK 7–9
• 一如既往yì rú jì wǎng(idiom) just as in the past; as before; continuing as alwaysHSK 7–9
• 一目了然yí mù liǎo ránobvious at a glance (idiom)HSK 7–9
• 不可思议bù kě sī yìinconceivable; unimaginable; unfathomableHSK 7–9
• 不知不觉bù zhī bù jué(idiom) unconsciously; unwittinglyHSK 7–9
• 不知所措bù zhī suǒ cuònot knowing what to doHSK 7–9

Browse every entry in the Chinese idioms dictionary.