防微杜渐 nip in the bud
Explanation
比喻在坏事情坏思想萌芽的时候就加以制止，不让它发展。
It means to nip bad things or bad thoughts in the bud so that they cannot develop.
Origin Story
汉和帝刘肇即位后，窦太后掌权，她的哥哥窦宪被封为武阳侯，权力越来越大，骄横跋扈，结党营私，贪赃枉法，弄得朝纲紊乱，民不聊生。大臣丁鸿上书汉和帝，指出窦宪的种种罪行，恳请皇帝能防微杜渐，及早铲除这个祸患。汉和帝采纳了丁鸿的建议，下令罢免了窦宪的官职，并将其流放，使得朝政清明，国泰民安。从此以后，防微杜渐便成为后世治国理政的重要经验。
After Emperor He of Han ascended the throne, Empress Dowager Dou held power, and her brother Dou Xian was appointed Marquis of Wuyang. His power grew steadily, and he became arrogant and arbitrary, formed factions, sought personal gain, accepted bribes and falsified judgments. This led to political disorder and great distress among the people. Minister Ding Hong submitted a memorial to Emperor He, listing Dou Xian's crimes and urging the emperor to take preventive measures and eliminate this danger early. Emperor He adopted Ding Hong's advice, ordered Dou Xian dismissed from his post, and banished him. This resulted in good governance and peace in the land. Since then, ‘nipping problems in the bud’ has become an important lesson in statecraft.
Usage
常用作谓语、定语、宾语；多用于劝诫、警示场合。
Often used as a predicate, attribute, or object; mostly in admonitory or warning contexts.
Examples
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要防微杜渐，不要让小问题变成大灾难。
yaofangwei du jian,buyaorang xiaowenti biancheng dazainan.
It's important to nip problems in the bud, to prevent them from turning into major disasters.
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及早发现并解决问题，防微杜渐
ji zao faxian bing jiejue wenti,fangwei dujian
Early detection and resolution of issues are important to prevent worse problems