前车可鉴 — “Learn from past mistakes”
前车可鉴 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Learn from past mistakes”. Take warning from previous failures or precedents. Literally, “The preceding cart can serve as a mirror/warning”.
前车可鉴 Pronunciation and Pinyin
前车可鉴 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 前车可鉴
Origin and Story of 前车可鉴
During the Western Han Dynasty, Jia Yi, a native of Luoyang, was renowned as a child prodigy from a young age.
Emperor Wen of Han, hearing of his great talent, invited him to the capital to serve as a 'boshi' (an official academician) and sought his views on governing the country.
Jia Yi advocated for taking the downfall of the Qin Dynasty as a mirror, constantly reminding oneself to practice benevolent governance, allowing the common people to rest and recuperate, and emphasizing agricultural production to strengthen the nation.
Idioms Related to 前车可鉴
Synonyms of 前车可鉴
Antonyms of 前车可鉴
More idioms starting with 前
- qián前bù不bā巴cūn村，，hòu后bù不bā巴diàn店nowhere to go for help
- qián前bù不bā巴cūn村，，hòu后bù不zháo着diàn店stranded in the middle of nowhere
- qián前bù不zháo着cūn村，，hòu后bù不zháo着diàn店stranded without support
- qián前bù不jiàn见gǔ古rén人，，hòu后bù不jiàn见lái来zhě者unprecedented and peerless, profoundly alone
- qián前shì事bù不wàng忘，，hòu后shì事zhī之shī师Learn from the past to guide the future
- qián前rén人shī失jiǎo脚，，hòu后rén人bǎ把huá滑learn from others' mistakes
- qián前rén人zāi栽shù树，，hòu后rén人chéng乘liáng凉Later generations benefit from earlier efforts
- qián前rén人zhǒng种dé德hòu后rén人shōu收Later generations benefit from ancestors' virtues
- qián前rén人zhòng种shù树，，hòu后rén人chéng乘liáng凉Later generations benefit from previous efforts
- qián前pū仆hòu后jì继fall and follow in a continuous effort
- qián前pū仆hòu后qǐ起one falls, another rises
- qián前pú仆hòu后bó踣fall one after another
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Open the tool →Questions about 前车可鉴
What does 前车可鉴 mean?
前车可鉴 (qián chē kě jiàn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Learn from past mistakes”.
How do you pronounce 前车可鉴?
前车可鉴 is pronounced qián chē kě jiàn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 前车可鉴 literally mean?
Literally, 前车可鉴 means “the preceding cart can serve as a mirror/warning”. It is used to mean “Learn from past mistakes”.
Where does 前车可鉴 come from?
前车可鉴 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 前车可鉴?
鉴：引申为教训。指用前人的失败作为教训。