Is "repairing the situation after a desperate situation" an idiom or a fable?

"Mending the situation before the sheep is gone" is a fable.

The story of mending the situation after a desperate situation: Once upon a time, someone raised a flock of sheep. One morning, he found that a sheep was missing. After careful inspection, he found that there was a hole in the sheepfold. During the night, a wolf came in and took away one of the sheep. The neighbor advised him: "Repair the sheepfold quickly and plug the holes!" The man refused to accept the advice and replied: "The sheep have been lost, so why repair the sheepfold?"

P. The next morning, he found that one sheep was missing. It turned out that the wolf got in through the hole again and took away a sheep. He regretted that he had not listened to his neighbor's advice, so he quickly blocked the hole and repaired the sheepfold. From then on, the wolf could no longer get into the sheepfold and snatch the sheep. Extended information

Fixing the situation before it is too late comes from "Warring States Policy·Chu Ce", which is a metaphor for finding ways to remedy problems after they occur, so as to prevent further losses.

This story comes from "Warring States Policy". During the Warring States Period, a minister of Chu State named Zhuang Xin said to King Chu Xiang one day: "When you are in the palace, the Marquis of Zhou is on your left and the Marquis of Xia is on your right; when you go out, Lord Yanling and Lord Shouhe are always together. It’s up to you.

You and these four people specialize in luxury and pleasure, regardless of national affairs, Ying (the capital of Chu, in the north of Jiangling County, Hubei Province) must be in danger!" King Xiang heard this! , was very unhappy and cursed angrily: "Are you confused? Are you deliberately saying these sinister words to confuse people's hearts?"

Zhuang Xin replied calmly: "I really feel that things must be done. At this point, you don’t dare to deliberately say that Chu is in trouble. If you continue to favor this person, Chu will definitely perish. Since you don’t believe me, please allow me to hide in Zhao and see what happens. ."

Zhuang Xin had only lived in Zhao for five months. As expected, Qin sent troops to invade Chu, and King Xiang was forced to go into exile in Yangcheng (now northwest of Xixian County, Henan). Only then did he feel that Zhuang Xin's words were good, so he quickly sent someone to find Zhuang Xin and asked him what he could do. Zhuang Xin said sincerely: "I've heard that it's not too late to think of hunting for a hound when you see a rabbit; It’s not too late to mend the sheepfold after the sheep run away. “

This is a very meaningful story. If you only know how to enjoy yourself and don’t know how to do things, the result will inevitably be a tragic failure. undoubtedly. The idiom "make up for it before it's too late" is based on the two sentences above. It expresses the meaning that if something goes wrong, it's not too late to save it as soon as possible.

For example, a businessman makes a mistake in estimating the development of things, advances rashly, and falls into failure. But he is not discouraged from starting over!

"Warring States Policy" is a country-specific historical work, also known as "National Policy". The book records the events of the Western Zhou Dynasty, Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Qin, Qi, Chu, Zhao, Wei, Han, Yan, Song, Wei, and Zhongshan.

The chronicle dates from the early years of the Warring States Period to the end of the Qin Dynasty when the Six Kingdoms were destroyed, with a history of about 240 years. "Warring States Policy" is divided into 12 policies, 33 volumes, and 497 chapters. It mainly describes the political opinions and words and deeds strategies of lobbyists during the Warring States Period. It can also be said to be a practical exercise manual for lobbyists.

This book also shows the historical characteristics and social features of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period, and is an important classic for studying the history of the Warring States Period. The ideological tendency of the book "Warring States Policy" was criticized by scholars of all ages because it was contrary to the orthodox Confucian thought.

"Warring States Policy" has been criticized as "heresy" and "a book of deviance". ""Warring States Policy" is basically a genre of its own. Its moral philosophy is mostly based on Taoism, and its social and political views are close to Legalism, but it is inconsistent with Confucianism, so it has been criticized by later generations of scholars."