亡
羊
补
牢

Lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom) in Chinese: 亡羊补牢 (wáng yáng bǔ láo)

wáng yáng bǔ láo

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

HSK 3.0 Levels 7-9Traditional: 亡羊補牢1 example sentence

Definitions

  1. 1lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom)
  2. 2fig. to act belatedly
  3. 3better late than never
  4. 4to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted

Stroke order

Watch how to write 亡羊补牢 stroke by stroke.

亡
羊
补
牢

Zhuyin

This word’s pronunciation in Bopomofo.

Learn how to read Zhuyin

ㄨㄤˊ

wáng

ㄨ/ uㄤ/ angˊ/ second tone

ㄧㄤˊ

yáng

ㄧ/ iㄤ/ angˊ/ second tone

ㄅㄨˇ

bǔ

ㄅ/ bㄨ/ uˇ/ third tone

ㄌㄠˊ

láo

ㄌ/ lㄠ/ aoˊ/ second tone

Simplified & traditional

亡羊补牢

Simplified

亡羊補牢

Traditional

Example sentences

See 亡羊补牢 used in real sentences with pinyin and English translations.

  • 虽然出了错，但亡羊补牢还来得及。

    suī rán chū le cuò， dàn wáng yáng bǔ láo hái lái de jí。

    Although a mistake was made, it's not too late to fix it.

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Related words

补

bǔ

to repair

羊

yáng

sheep

牢

láo

firm

羊肉

yáng ròu

mutton

补充

bǔ chōng

to replenish

补偿

bǔ cháng

to compensate

补贴

bǔ tiē

to subsidize

补考

bǔ kǎo

to sit for a makeup exam

补课

bǔ kè

to make up missed lesson

补习

bǔ xí

to take extra lessons in a cram school or with a private tutor

补助

bǔ zhù

to subsidize

伤亡

shāng wáng

casualties

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Levels 7-9 vocabulary list

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