前车之鉴

前車之鑑

qiánchēzhījiàn

idiom #29,993

Meanings

1 lesson learned from others' mistakes
2 warning from the overturned cart ahead
3 a cautionary example

Characters

front; ahead; before

possessive particle (classical)

mirror; to serve as a warning; lesson

Examples

HSK 4

上次的失败是我们的前车之鉴，这次一定要小心。

Shàngcì de shībài shì wǒmen de qiánchēzhījiàn, zhècì yīdìng yào xiǎoxīn.

Last time's failure is a lesson we should learn from - we must be careful this time.

HSK 7-9

历史上的错误是后人的前车之鉴。

Lìshǐ shàng de cuòwù shì hòurén de qiánchēzhījiàn.

The mistakes of history serve as warnings for future generations.

Tips

history

Literally 「the overturned cart ahead serves as a mirror.」 In ancient China, if the cart in front of you flipped on a road, you knew to go around or slow down. 鉴 (jiàn) originally meant a bronze mirror used for reflection - both literal and figurative.

Stroke Order

前 qián

车 chē

之 zhī

鉴 jiàn