闭门思过 bì mén sī guò to close the door and reflect on one's mistakes

Explanation

闭门思过是一个汉语成语，意思是关起门来反省自己犯的错误。它通常用来指责那些犯了错误的人，应该反省自己的行为并加以改正。

Bì mén sī guò (闭门思过) is a Chinese idiom that means to close the door and reflect on one's mistakes. It is often used to criticize those who have made mistakes and should reflect on their actions and correct them.

Origin Story

古代有个名叫张三的人，为人正直，待人真诚，在村里很受人尊敬。有一天，张三犯了一件错，误伤了邻村的一个小孩，他非常自责，心里很过意不去。他觉得自己辜负了村民对他的信任，也对不起受伤的小孩。于是，他关起门来，反省自己的行为，思考自己犯错的原因。他反复告诫自己，以后一定要小心谨慎，不能再犯同样的错误了。经过一段时间的闭门思过，张三终于认识到了自己的错误，并决心改过自新。他主动找到了受伤的小孩的家人，向他们道歉，并尽力帮助他们照顾受伤的小孩。村民们看到张三的真诚悔过，都原谅了他。从那以后，张三更加注重自己的言行，成为了村里公认的模范人物。

gǔ dài yǒu gè míng jiào zhāng sān de rén, wéi rén zhèng zhí, dài rén chéng zhēn, zài cūn lǐ hěn shòu rén zūn jìng. yǒu yī tiān, zhāng sān fàn le yī jiàn cuò, wù shāng le lín cūn de yī gè xiǎo hái, tā fēi cháng zì zé, xīn lǐ hěn guò yì bù qù. tā jué de zì jǐ gū fù le cūn mín duì tā de xìn rèn, yě duì bù qǐ shòu shāng de xiǎo hái. yú shì, tā guān qǐ mén lái, fǎn xǐng zì jǐ de xíng wéi, sī kǎo zì jǐ fàn cuò de yuán yīn. tā fǎn fù gào jiè zì jǐ, yǐ hòu yī dìng yào xiǎo xīn jǐn shèn, bù néng zài fàn tóng yàng de cuò wù le. jīng guò yī duàn shí jiān de bì mén sī guò, zhāng sān zhōng yú rèn shí dào le zì jǐ de cuò wù, bìng jué xīn gǎi guò zì xīn. tā zhǔ dòng zhǎo dào le shòu shāng de xiǎo hái de jiā rén, xiàng tā men dào qiàn, bìng jìn lì bāng zhù tā men zhào gù shòu shāng de xiǎo hái. cūn mín men kàn dào zhāng sān de zhēn chéng huǐ guò, dōu yuán liàng le tā. cóng nà yǐ hòu, zhāng sān gèng jiā zhù zhòng zì jǐ de yán xíng, chéng wéi le cūn lǐ gōng rèn de mó fàn rén wù.

Once upon a time, there was a man named Zhang San who was honest and sincere, and was highly respected in his village. One day, Zhang San made a mistake and accidentally injured a child from the neighboring village. He was very self-blaming and felt very guilty. He felt that he had disappointed the villagers' trust in him and was also sorry for the injured child. So he closed himself off and reflected on his behavior, thinking about the reasons for his mistake. He repeatedly warned himself to be careful and cautious in the future and not to make the same mistake again. After a period of reflection, Zhang San finally realized his mistake and decided to change his ways. He took the initiative to find the family of the injured child, apologized to them, and helped them take care of the injured child as best he could. The villagers saw Zhang San's sincere repentance and forgave him. From then on, Zhang San paid more attention to his words and deeds and became a recognized model figure in the village.

Usage

闭门思过多用于个人反思，当自己犯了错误或者做错了事时，可以关起门来认真思考，分析原因，找到解决问题的方法，并以此来激励自己改进自身的行为，不再犯同样的错误。

bì mén sī guò duō yòng yú gè rén fǎn sī, dāng zì jǐ fàn le cuò wù huò zhě zuò cuò le shì shí, kě yǐ guān qǐ mén lái rèn zhēn sī kǎo, fēn xī yuán yīn, zhǎo dào jiě jué wèn tí de fāng fǎ, bìng yǐ cǐ lái jī lì zì jǐ gǎi jìn zì shēn de xíng wéi, bù zài fàn tóng yàng de cuò wù.

Bì mén sī guò is mostly used for personal reflection. When you make a mistake or do something wrong, you can close the door and think carefully, analyze the reasons, find solutions to the problem, and use it to motivate yourself to improve your behavior and avoid making the same mistakes.

Examples

• 犯了错误，应该闭门思过，改正错误。

  fàn le cuò wù, yīng gāi bì mén sī guò, gǎi zhèng cuò wù.

  If you make a mistake, you should reflect on it and correct it.

• 他犯了错误，就应该闭门思过，不能一错再错。

  tā fàn le cuò wù, jiù yīng gāi bì mén sī guò, bù néng yī cuò zài cuò.

  He made a mistake and should reflect on it and not repeat it.

• 这次考试失利后，他决定闭门思过，认真总结经验教训。

  zhè cì kǎo shì shī lì hòu, tā jué dìng bì mén sī guò, rèn zhēn zǒng jié jīng yàn jiào xùn.

  After failing the exam, he decided to reflect on his mistakes and learn from the experience.

Related Idioms

• 反躬自省

• 痛改前非

Opposite Idioms

• 冥顽不灵

• 不知悔改