Jiāzhǎng yào fángwēi-dùjiàn, jíshí jiūzhèng háizi de huài xíguàn.
Parents should stop problems early and correct their children's bad habits in time.
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From 《后汉书·丁鸿传》 (History of the Later Han): 「若敕政责躬，杜渐防萌，则凶妖消灭」 - 'if one governs strictly and blocks trouble at its sprout, calamity will vanish.' The variant 杜渐防萌 predates the current ordering but means the same.
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Formal - common in policy writing, management, and editorials. In casual speech, people more often say 防患于未然 or just 提前预防.
