亡羊补牢

Traditional: 亡羊補牢

wáng yáng bǔ láo

Dictionary entry

lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom)

What does 亡羊补牢 mean?

亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo) has the following dictionary meaning.

1lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom)

2fig. to act belatedly

3better late than never

4to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted

Character breakdown

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亡wángto die · to lose 羊Yángsurname Yang 补bǔto repair · to patch 牢láo(literary) pen; fold (for livestock) · prison; jail

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How to pronounce 亡羊补牢

亡羊补牢

wáng yáng bǔ láo

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Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.