📖 Meaning
To think ahead and consider long-term consequences before taking action. It describes someone who plans carefully for the future while reflecting on past lessons, exercising far-sighted and cautious deliberation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from a memorial by Li Gang, a statesman of the Song Dynasty, titled 'Letter to the Prime Minister on Defending Against Rebels.' In it, Li Gang argued that since ancient times a ruler must maintain a personal guard to control both inner and outer threats, describing this as a strategy of far-sighted planning and cautious foresight. The phrase thus came to represent the practice of thinking deeply about future implications before acting.
💡 Example Usage
凡事长虑却顾，方能行稳致远。
By carefully considering the long-term implications in all matters, one can proceed steadily and go far.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 长虑却顾
- Pinyin: cháng lǜ què gù
- Literal Translation: long, consider, step back, look back
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4