Once there was a man who kept a flock of sheep. One morning he found a hole in the pen and one sheep missing. A neighbour urged him: "Mend the hole right away."
He shrugged: "The sheep is already gone - what use is mending?" The next morning another sheep was missing. Only then, full of regret, did he fix the pen thoroughly.
After that, not one more sheep was lost. The tale, from Zhanguo Ce, gives us wang yang bu lao - "mend the fold after losing the sheep" (wang = lost, lao = pen).
It means: once a problem appears, prompt remedy is not too late; learn from the mistake to avoid greater loss. Close to the English "It's never too late to mend".
Usage: "Failing this exam is no disaster - mend the fold; start working hard now and it is still in time." Often paired with "not too late at all", it carries a positive ring.
The familiar tale: a shepherd pen has a hole; a sheep is lost overnight. He ignores advice; another is lost next day; only then he repairs the pen.
From Zhanguo Ce, its core idea: after a problem, remedy in time still works.
"Wáng yáng bǔ láo" means: after suffering loss, fix things to avoid further loss. It stresses the value of timely action.
Today it encourages: missing out is fine; what matters is starting to remedy now.
Examples: miss a bus, catch the next; waste the first half of the year, seize the second; feel unwell, see a doctor promptly.
It contrasts with "hiding illness for fear of treatment" - one chooses remedy, the other escape; the remedier minimises loss, the escaper maximises it.
For learners it reminds: what you did not learn today, learn tomorrow; what was not achieved this month, continue next. As long as you remedy, it is not late.
Remember: once the pen is mended, the remaining sheep are saved. Life "pen" can be mended anytime.
It is close to "mending fault with merit": remedy mistakes with action, not excuses.
Chinese also value "eat a loss, gain wisdom" - every fall teaches a lesson; every error can become growth.
So next time you lose a "sheep", do not lose heart: mend the pen, keep the lesson. You will be stronger than before.
An important premise: admit "the sheep is lost". Many know the problem but refuse to admit it - admitting fault feels shameful. But the ancients said: "knowing an error and correcting it is the greatest good." Real courage is not avoiding mistakes but admitting and acting at once. In Chinese study, encourage yourself with it: not fluent today? Fine, practise. Wrong character today? Fine, correct it. Every "mending" brings you closer to excellence.
In Chinese "huǐ" (regret) and "gǎi" (change) often appear together - regret must lead to action. Start your "mending" today: fill your weakest knowledge point, and you advance again.
