前车之鉴 (qián chē) — lessons learned from previous mistakes (one's own or others'); a cautionary example
Definition
A chengyu meaning 'a lesson from a prior failure' — literally 'the overturning of the cart ahead.' Always refers to drawing a warning from someone else's mistake, not your own.
noun
lessons learned from previous mistakes (one's own or others')a cautionary example
Examples
- 前车之鉴。Wǒ men yīng gāi bǎ zhè cì shī bài dàng zuò qián chē.We should treat this failure as a lesson from past mistakes.
- 前车之鉴。Tā de jīng lì chéng wéi nián qīng rén de qián chē.His experience became a cautionary example for young people.
- 前车之鉴。Lì shǐ shàng de cuò wù shì wǒ men zuì hǎo de qián chē.The mistakes in history are our best lesson.
Appears in
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