Dictionary › 亡羊补牢

亡羊补牢

wáng yáng bǔ láo

4-character word Traditional 亡羊補牢

What 亡羊补牢 means

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

The characters in 亡羊补牢

• 亡wángto die; to lose; to be gone
• 羊yángsheep; goat
• 补bǔto repair; to patch; to mend
• 牢láo(literary) pen; fold (for livestock); prison; jail; firm; secure; fast

Example sentences

• 亡羊补牢。
  Wángyángbǔláo.
  Better late than never.