凡事预则立

凡事預則立

fánshìyùzélì

phrase

Meanings

1 in all matters, preparation leads to success — with preparation you succeed, without it you fail
2 literally: in all affairs, if one prepares, then one is established

Characters

to prepare in advance

Examples

凡事预则立，出差前要把行程都确认好。

Fán shì yù zé lì, chūchāi qián yào bǎ xíngchéng dōu quèrèn hǎo.

In all matters preparation brings success — confirm the itinerary before any business trip.

项目要上线了，凡事预则立，我们先做一次演练。

Xiàngmù yào shàngxiàn le, fán shì yù zé lì, wǒmen xiān zuò yí cì yǎnliàn.

The project is about to launch — preparation is key, let's run a rehearsal first.

Tips

history

From 《礼记·中庸》 (The Doctrine of the Mean, in the Book of Rites): 凡事豫则立，不豫则废 — 'In all affairs, with preparation one is established; without preparation, one fails.' (豫 is a classical variant of 预.) Confucian classic on planning as the basis of success. Standard reference in Chinese management and pedagogical writing.

usage

Paired couplet — often quoted with its mate 不预则废. Formal / written register; common in project kickoffs, business seminars, school pep talks.

Stroke Order

凡 fán

事 shì

预 yù

则 zé

立 lì