Chinese word

前车之鉴

Pronunciation

Pinyinqián chē zhī jiàn

Meaning

  • nounlesson from past mistakes

Example

我们应该以前车之鉴为戒。wǒ men yīng gāi yǐ qián chē zhī jiàn wèi jiè

We should treat past mistakes as a lesson.

Illustration for 前车之鉴 (lesson from past mistakes)

More examples

我们应该吸取前车之鉴，避免重蹈覆辙。wǒ men yīng gāi xī qǔ qián chē zhī jiàn bì miǎn chóng dǎo fù zhé

We should learn a lesson from past mistakes and avoid repeating them.

Core concept

A failure that happens ahead leaves a visible warning for everyone following.

Common phrases

  • 以前车之鉴为戒yǐ qián chē zhī jiàn wèi jiè

    heed the lesson from past mistakes

  • 吸取前车之鉴xī qǔ qián chē zhī jiàn

    draw a lesson from past mistakes

  • 把前车之鉴当作教训bǎ qián chē zhī jiàn dàng zuò jiào xùn

    regard past mistakes as a lesson

Similar words

教训jiào xùn: A cautionary lesson gained from a past error or failure.
警示jǐng shì: A sign or message that calls for care to prevent trouble later.

Definition in Chinese

指把先前发生的错误或失败当作警戒和参考，从而避免再犯同样错误的经验性教训。zhǐ bǎ xiān qián fā shēng de cuò wù huò shī bài dàng zuò jǐng jiè hé cān kǎo cóng ér bì miǎn zài fàn tóng yàng cuò wù de jīng yàn xìng jiào xùn

Word origin

前 (qián, "front") + 车 (chē, "cart") + 之 (zhī, "of") + 鉴 (jiàn, "warning") presents the cart ahead as a warning for the cart behind, turning an earlier failure into guidance.

Usage tips

  • Unlike the neutral English word precedent, this idiom carries a built-in note of caution, so it suits discussion of an earlier failure as a reason for changing course.

Other meanings

  • warning from past mistakesnoun

Word lists with this word