Mending the Fold After the Sheep Have Fled

Origin of the Idiom: Zhuang Xin Advises King Xiang of Chu During the Warring States period, there was a minister in the state of Chu named Zhuang Xin. He was deeply concerned seeing King Xiang of Chu indulging in pleasure daily, associating with sycophants, and neglecting state affairs. Zhuang Xin privately advised King Xiang, saying, "Your Majesty, if you continue this extravagant and dissolute lifestyle and do not take state affairs seriously, the capital of Chu may soon be lost!" King Xiang became furious upon hearing this and cursed, "Are you an old fool? How dare you curse our Chu!" Seeing that the king would not listen, Zhuang Xin requested to go to the state of Zhao to seek refuge, in order to avoid disaster. As expected, just five months later, the state of Qin sent troops to attack Chu, capturing the capital, Yingdu. King Xiang was forced to flee to Chengyang. It was then that he suddenly remembered Zhuang Xin's earlier advice and regretted it deeply. King Xiang immediately sent someone to invite Zhuang Xin back from Zhao and sincerely asked him, "I did not heed your words then, which led to this predicament. What should we do now? Is there truly no hope?" Zhuang Xin replied with a timeless saying: "I have heard the common saying: 'To call the hunting dog after seeing the rabbit is not too late; to mend the sheepfold after the sheep have fled is not too late.'" This means: Seeing the rabbit and then calling the hunting dog to chase it, though a bit late, is still actionable. Repairing the sheepfold after the sheep have escaped, though there has been a loss, is not yet too late. Subsequently, Zhuang Xin helped King Xiang analyze the situation, and King Xiang repented and reformed, successfully regrouping and recovering some lost territory.