wáng亡loseyáng羊sheepbǔ补mendláo牢pen
Mend the pen after losing the sheep — better late than never.
Literal meaning
lose (亡) — sheep (羊) — mend (补) — pen (牢)
Origin
Strategies of the Warring States (《战国策·楚策》). A shepherd lost a sheep through a hole in the pen. A neighbour told him to fix the hole. He shrugged it off; the next day, another sheep was gone. He finally mended the pen — no more losses. The full proverb: 亡羊补牢，未为晚也 (mending the pen after losing the sheep — not too late).
Examples
Wáng亡yáng羊bǔ补láo牢，xiàn现zài在gǎi改hái还lái来de得jí及。
Better late than never — there's still time to fix it.
Chū出le了shì事gù故cái才jiā加qiáng强ān安quán全，shì是wáng亡yáng羊bǔ补láo牢。
Strengthening safety only after an accident is closing the pen after the sheep is gone.
Usage & nuances
Often consoling — used to reassure someone that fixing a problem now still matters.
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