It is better to safeguard what you have already accomplished than to crave for exploits of the future.
It is better to guard against further mistakes than to waste time regretting past ones.
图未就之功，不如保已成之业；悔既往之失，不如防将来之非。
Notes
Preservation over reckless ambition
“Existing foundations” are prerequisites for further development. Blindly rushing forward often brings more loss than gain. The decline of many dynasties stemmed from rulers’ dissatisfaction with “established achievements.” Driven by reckless expansion and lavish construction projects, they failed to attain new gains while destroying what they already had—profoundly validating the wisdom that “preserving the accomplished outweighs chasing the unattained.”
Prevention trumps fruitless regret
Toward errors, focus should lie on “future prevention” rather than “past obsession.” Just as a doctor does not dwell on a patient’s medical history but devises future preventive care, the wise do not linger in regret. Instead, they act to “defuse future landmines”—this forward-looking attitude elevates life through continuous correction.
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