惩前毖后 — “Chastise the past to guard against the future”
惩前毖后 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to learn from past mistakes and take precautions to prevent similar errors in the future; to criticize past faults in order to be more careful in the future”. Literally, “Chastise the past to guard against the future”.
惩前毖后 Pronunciation and Pinyin
惩前毖后 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 惩前毖后
Origin and Story of 惩前毖后
During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the young King Cheng ruled the country with the assistance of his regent, the Duke of Zhou (Ji Dan). King Wu's younger brothers, Guan Shuxian and Cai Shudu, spread rumors that the Duke of Zhou intended to usurp the throne.
To demonstrate his loyalty, the Duke of Zhou temporarily withdrew to a remote area. Seizing this opportunity, Guan Shuxian and his allies immediately launched a rebellion.
King Cheng then requested the Duke of Zhou to lead an army to suppress the uprising. King Cheng declared that he wished to learn from the lessons of the past conflict and its consequences, ensuring that such misfortunes would not recur in the future.
Idioms Related to 惩前毖后
Synonyms of 惩前毖后
Antonyms of 惩前毖后
More idioms starting with 惩
- chéng惩yī一jǐng儆zhòng众punish one to warn many
- chéng惩yī一jǐng儆bǎi百punish one to warn many
- chéng惩yī一jiè戒bǎi百punish one to warn many
- chéng惩yī一jǐng警bǎi百punish one to warn many
- chéng惩fèn忿zhì窒yù欲curb anger and restrain desires
- chéng惩è恶quàn劝shàn善punish evil and encourage good
- chéng惩gēng羹chuī吹jī虀Once bitten, twice shy
- chéng惩gēng羹chuī吹jī齑overly cautious from past bad experience
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Open the tool →Questions about 惩前毖后
What does 惩前毖后 mean?
惩前毖后 (chéng qián bì hòu) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to learn from past mistakes and take precautions to prevent similar errors in the future; to criticize past faults in order to be more careful in the future”.
How do you pronounce 惩前毖后?
惩前毖后 is pronounced chéng qián bì hòu in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 惩前毖后 literally mean?
Literally, 惩前毖后 means “Chastise the past to guard against the future”. It is used to mean “to learn from past mistakes and take precautions to prevent similar errors in the future; to criticize past faults in order to be more careful in the future”.
Where does 惩前毖后 come from?
惩前毖后 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 惩前毖后?
惩：警戒；毖：谨慎。指批判以前所犯的错误，吸取教训，使以后谨慎些，不致再犯。