Definition
前车之鉴 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) from a classical metaphor: 'the overturned cart ahead is a warning for the cart behind.' It's used as a noun phrase meaning a lesson drawn from someone else's (or one's own) past failure — a cautionary example to avoid repeating the same mistake. You often see it after 作为 'as' or 成为 'become', or as the object of 是.
n.
lessons learned from previous mistakes (one's own or others')a cautionary example
Examples
- 前车之鉴。Wǒmen yīnggāi bǎ zhè cì shībài dàngzuò qián chē.We should treat this failure as a lesson from past mistakes.
- 前车之鉴。Tā de jīnglì chéngwéi niánqīngrén de qián chē.His experience became a cautionary example for young people.
- 前车之鉴。Lìshǐ shàng de cuòwù shì wǒmen zuì hǎo de qián chē.The mistakes in history are our best lesson.
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