未wèi雨yǔ綢chóu繆móu

What does 未雨綢繆 (wèi yǔ chóu móu) mean?

未雨綢繆 (wèi yǔ chóu móu) is a four-character classical idiom (chéngyǔ 成語). Word for word it reads "repair the roof before the rain comes." In use it means: Preparing for problems before they arrive; the most effective form of risk management is the kind done while the sky is still clear. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Snake.

Literally: "repair the roof before the rain comes."

The reading

The shingles are easier to replace when you are dry. The leak is easier to prevent when there is no water. Every repair done in advance costs a fraction of what it costs during the emergency, because the emergency adds its own surcharge: panic, haste, and the damage that accumulated while you waited.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typechéngyǔ 成語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element土 Earth
• Zodiac tie蛇 Year of the Snake

Source Book of Songs 詩經, Bin Feng 豳風, Chi Xiao 鴟鴞

Sits beside

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 Wisdom & Learning, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Snake, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.