防患未然

fánghuànwèirán

idiom

Meanings

Zuò hǎo xiāofáng jiǎnchá, cáinéng fánghuànwèirán.

Only by thoroughly inspecting fire safety can we head off trouble in advance.

Yǔqí shìhòu bǔjiù, bùrú fánghuànwèirán.

Rather than mopping up afterward, better to guard against trouble before it starts.

Wǒmen yào fánghuànwèirán, tíqián zhìdìng yìngjí yù'àn.

We need to get ahead of the problem and draw up contingency plans in advance.

history

Roots in 《周易·既济》 — '君子以思患而豫防之' — and 《乐府诗集·君子行》 — '君子防未然.' The 未然 means 'not-yet-so' — that is, before the trouble actually arises.

Formal — safety notices, policy documents, management writing. In casual speech, 提前预防 or 早做准备 carries the same sense.

防 fáng

患 huàn

未 wèi

然 rán