亡羊補牢 wáng yáng bǔ láo

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. to mend the pen after sheep are lost (idiom)
  2. fig. to act belatedly
  3. better late than never
  4. to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted

CHARACTERS

亡 wáng
HSK 6
death, destroyed; lose, perish
羊 yáng
HSK 2
sheep, goat; KangXi radical 123
補 bǔ mend, patch, fix, repair, restore
牢 láo
HSK 6
prison; stable, pen; secure