亡羊補牢猶未晚

Pinyin: wangyangbulao youweiwan
Variations: 亡羊補牢;亡羊補牢,猶未晚矣
Literal Translation: It is not too late to mend the sheep pen even after some sheep are lost.
Idiomatic Meaning: One can always learn from failure, correct mistakes, and make a comeback.
English Equivalent: Better late than never./It is never too late to mend.

◎黃彥霖

The Story Behind:

          During the Warring States Period (475-221BC), the State of Chu was once ruled by an incompetent and decadent lord, 楚襄王 (King Chuxiang). He and four of his high-ranking ministers indulged themselves in excesses all the time. Another minister, Zhuang Xin, foresaw the danger  his country could face and voiced his concerns to King Chuxiang, but the King refused to listen to him. He then asked for the King's permission to leave his country and stay in the State of Zhao. The King consented.

        

         Five months later, the King of Qin sent his troops to invade the State of Chu and occupied a large portion of its territory while King Chuxiang was forced into exile. Remembering the warning Zhuang Xin gave him, the King of Chu sent his men to fetch Zhuang Xin. He then sought the advice of Zhuang Xin, who told him the following story.

 

         Once upon a time, there was one man who built a sheep pen and raised his sheep inside. One day, the pen was damaged and a sheep escaped through the hole. One of his neighbors suggested him to mend the pen, but he refused and said, "That's the use of mending the pen when one of my sheep is lost?"

 

        The next day, another sheep was missing, and he regretted not taking his neighbor's advice. Yet his neighbor soothed him and said, "It's not too late to mend the sheep pen even after some sheep are lost." The man mended the pen and, of course, no more sheep ran away.

 

        Learning from the lesson of this story and correcting his mistakes, the King of Chu made a comeback, defeated the Qin troops, and eventually recovered the lost land.

 

       This expression is all about how one deals with his/her failures and mistakes. One is not supposed to do nothing but forgive him-/herself and take the mistakes as given. Instead, one should take a more active role in reflecting on his/her failures and mistakes and drawing lessons from them, in order to address them. By so doing, one can always put an end to the damage or losses and manage to turn over a new leaf.


 

博德季刊第12期
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慈語甘泉
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