未雨绸缪

未雨綢繆
wèiyǔ-chóumóu
idiom #24,320

Meanings

  1. 1 to prepare for a rainy day
  2. 2 to plan ahead
  3. 3 to take precautions before trouble arises

Examples

HSK 4
Wǒmen yào wèiyǔ-chóumóu, tíqián zuòhǎo zhǔnbèi.
We should prepare for a rainy day and get ready in advance.
HSK 6
Fánshì yào wèiyǔ-chóumóu, búyào dào le wēijī cái yìngduì.
In all things, prepare before the storm - don't wait until a crisis hits to respond.
HSK 7-9
Gōngsī wèiyǔ-chóumóu, zài jīngjì wēijī qián jiù chǔbèi le chōngzú zījīn.
The company planned ahead and had stored sufficient funds before the economic crisis.

Tips

history
This idiom comes from the Book of Songs (诗经), the oldest collection of Chinese poetry. The original verse describes a bird mending its nest with mulberry bark before the rains come - a metaphor for forethought.
memory
(not yet) + (rain) + 绸缪 (to bind/wind around) - before it rains, bind things up. Picture wrapping your belongings with silk before a storm.

Stroke Order

wèi
chóu
Miào