防 患 未 然

fáng huàn wèi rándictionary entry

to prevent troubles before the event (idiom) / to forestall / to nip sth in the bud

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-c1757be9632a9fb6. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

防患未然 防患未然 [fang2 huan4 wei4 ran2] /to prevent troubles before the event (idiom)/to forestall/to nip sth in the bud/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

防
fáng
to protect / to defend / to guard against / to prevent
患
huàn
to suffer (from illness) / to contract (a disease) / misfortune / trouble / danger / worry
未
wèi
not yet / did not / have not / not / 8th earthly branch: 1-3 p.m., 6th solar month (7th July-6th August), year of the Sheep / ancient Chinese compass point: 210°
然
rán
correct / right / so / thus / like this / -ly

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.