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

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.

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