后车之鉴 hòu chē zhī jiàn

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. warning to the following cart (idiom); don't follow the track of an overturned cart
  2. fig. draw lesson from the failure of one's predecessor
  3. learn from past mistake
  4. once bitten twice shy

CHARACTERS

后 hòu
HSK 1
queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after
车 chē
HSK 1
cart, vehicle; carry in cart
之 zhī
HSK 4
marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; go to
鉴 jiàn
HSK 6
mirror, looking glass; reflect