亡羊补牢

wángyángbǔláo

HSK 7

亡羊补牢 — wángyángbǔláo

1. literally 'to repair the pen after the sheep are lost' — to take remedial action after suffering a loss; better late than never

   公司出了亏损才开始改进管理，这有点儿是亡羊补牢。 gōngsī chū le kuīsǔn cái kāishǐ gǎijìn guǎnlǐ zhè yǒudiǎnér shì wángyángbǔláo — The company only started improving management after losses occurred — it's a bit of a case of 'better late than never.'

2. used to advise taking remedial measures after a problem has occurred — encouragement that it's still worth fixing things late

   别放弃，亡羊补牢，赶紧补救还来得及。 bié fàngqì wángyángbǔláo gǎnjǐn bǔjiù hái láidejí — Don't give up — better late than never; hurry and remedy it while there's still time.