三思而行 Sān sī ér xíng Think thrice before acting

Explanation

这个成语的意思是说在做事之前要反复思考，谨慎对待，不要轻举妄动，免得犯错误。

This idiom means that before doing something, you should think carefully, be cautious, and avoid rash actions to avoid mistakes.

Origin Story

春秋时期，鲁国有个贤明的大夫叫季文子，他为人谨慎，做什么事都要反复考虑，三思而后行。有一次，季文子要外出办事，他仔细地考虑了行程路线、时间安排、可能遇到的各种问题，并做好了充分的准备。他的朋友觉得他太过谨慎，认为只要考虑一次就够了，没有必要三思。季文子笑着说：“三思而行，是为谨慎，不是为犹豫。谨慎是为了把事情做好，避免犯错误。犹豫则是犹豫不决，最终什么也做不成。”

chūn qiū shí qī, lǔ guó yǒu gè xián míng de dà fū jiào jì wén zǐ, tā wéi rén jǐn shèn, zuò shén me shì dōu yào fǎn fù kǎo lǜ, sān sī ér hòu xíng. yǒu yī cì, jì wén zǐ yào wài chū bàn shì, tā zǐ xì de kǎo lǜ le xíng chéng lù xiàn, shí jiān ān pái, kě néng yù dào de gè zhǒng wèn tí, bìng zuò hǎo le chōng fèn de zhǔn bèi. tā de péng yǒu jué de tā tài guò jǐn shèn, rèn wéi zhǐ yào kǎo lǜ yī cì jiù gòu le, méi yǒu bì yào sān sī. jì wén zǐ xiào zhe shuō: “sān sī ér xíng, shì wéi jǐn shèn, bù shì wéi yóu yù. jǐn shèn shì wèi le bǎ shì qíng zuò hǎo, bì miǎn fàn cuò wù. yóu yù zé shì yóu yù bù jué, zhōng jiù shén me yě zuò bù chéng.

In the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a wise statesman in the State of Lu named Ji Wenzi. He was a cautious man and considered everything three times before acting. Once, Ji Wenzi was going on a trip. He carefully considered the itinerary, time arrangements, and possible problems that could arise, and made thorough preparations. His friend thought he was too cautious and that it was enough to think about it once. Ji Wenzi smiled and said, “Thinking three times before acting is caution, not hesitation. Caution is to do things well and avoid making mistakes. Hesitation, on the other hand, is to be indecisive and ultimately achieve nothing.

Usage

在日常生活中，我们可以用这个成语来提醒自己，做事要谨慎，不要冲动，要经过深思熟虑后再行动。

zài rì cháng shēng huó zhōng, wǒ men kě yǐ yòng zhè ge chéng yǔ lái tí xǐng zì jǐ, zuò shì yào jǐn shèn, bù yào chōng dòng, yào jīng guò shēn sī shú lǜ hòu zài xíng dòng.

In daily life, we can use this idiom to remind ourselves to be cautious and not impulsive in our actions. We should think carefully before acting.

Examples

• 人生大事，要三思而行，不能草率决定。

  rén shēng dà shì, yào sān sī ér xíng, bù néng cǎo shuài jué dìng.

  Life's big decisions should be carefully considered, don't rush into anything.

• 在做重大决策之前，一定要三思而后行，避免出现错误。

  zài zuò zhòng dà jué cè zhī qián, yī dìng yào sān sī ér hòu xíng, bì miǎn chū xiàn cuò wù.

  Before making a major decision, you should think carefully to avoid mistakes.

Related Idioms

• 深思熟虑

• 慎思明辨

Opposite Idioms

• 草率

• 鲁莽