重蹈覆辙 — “To repeat a past mistake”

重蹈覆辙 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to repeat a past mistake”. To follow the same disastrous road; to make the same error again, often due to a failure to learn from previous failures. Literally, “to re-tread the overturned tracks”.

Frequency

重蹈覆辙 Pronunciation and Pinyin

重蹈覆辙 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
重	chóng	9	heavy, important, repeat
蹈	dǎo	17	tread, step, dance
覆	fù	18	cover, overturn, reply
辙	zhé	16	wheel track or repeated mistake

Example Sentence with 重蹈覆辙

我们必须从过去的经验中吸取教训，避免在新的项目中重蹈覆辙。

We must learn from past experiences and avoid repeating the same mistakes in new projects.

Origin and Story of 重蹈覆辙

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Emperor Huan greatly favored eunuchs, who colluded to monopolize court affairs and frame loyal officials. Loyal ministers like Li Ying and Du Mi, along with university students led by Guo Tai, tried their best to eliminate these eunuchs.

In 166 AD, the eunuchs slandered Li Ying and others before Emperor Huan, accusing them of rebellion. Believing their false accusations, Emperor Huan ordered the imprisonment of hundreds of loyal officials, an event historically known as the 'Proscription of Partisans.'

At that time, Dou Wu, whose daughter was the empress, was a marquis. He was an upright man who never abused his power. Seeing the eunuchs' outrageous behavior, he was greatly incensed and submitted a memorial to Emperor Huan.

He stated, 'If you continue to allow these eunuchs to act so wantonly, it will be like the Qin Dynasty's Er Shi Emperor, who lost his empire because he gave too much power to powerful ministers, leading to their rebellion and chaos. Your Majesty must learn this lesson and absolutely not repeat the same disastrous mistakes!'

Emperor Huan, enlightened by Dou Wu's warning, realized his error. He subsequently released Li Ying and the others, bringing an end to the 'Proscription of Partisans'.