諺語 · a single proverb

防fáng患huàn於yú未wèi然rán

Simplified: 防患于未然

fáng huàn yú wèi rán

What does 防患於未然 (fáng huàn yú wèi rán) mean?

防患於未然 (fáng huàn yú wèi rán) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "prevent disaster before it is thus." In use it means: Prevent trouble before it happens; nip it in the bud. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Water note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.

Literally: "prevent disaster before it is thus."

The reading

The physician praised for curing illness is famous; the one who prevents it is invisible. Yet the invisible work is the greater one. Those who act before the problem arrives leave no dramatic story, only a quiet, unbroken life.

What kind of proverb it is

Source Han Shu 漢書·霍光傳 (Huò Guāng biography)

Sits beside

冬至陽生春又來

dōng zhì yáng shēng chūn yòu lái

At the darkest moment of winter, yang energy is reborn and spring begins its return.

夜長夢多

yè cháng mèng duō

Delay leads to complications.

小洞不補，大洞受苦

xiǎo dòng bù bǔ dà dòng shòu kǔ

Fix small problems before they become large ones.

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Timing & Fortune's Turning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.

Questions

Is 防患於未然 a real Chinese proverb?

Yes. 防患於未然 (fáng huàn yú wèi rán) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語), and it comes from Han Shu 漢書·霍光傳 (Huò Guāng biography). It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.

How do you pronounce 防患於未然?

In Mandarin it is fáng huàn yú wèi rán. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 防患於未然 aloud in Mandarin.