有备无患

Pronunciation: yǒu bèi wú huàn Literal meaning: Preparedness averts disaster

Origin & Usage

The Book of Documents states it flatly: attend to your affairs, and in preparation there is no calamity — have the preparation (有备) and you are without trouble (无患). It is the last clause of the chain quoted in the Zuo Zhuan as 居安思危，思则有备，有备无患, where Wei Jiang tells the ruler of Jin that peace is exactly when danger should be considered, since prosperity rather than crisis is what stops people looking. The phrase is not about anxiety. It is about doing the work while it is still cheap, and it is what Chinese says over insurance and fire drills.

Examples

English: "By planning ahead, she ensured that potential problems would not derail her project."

Chinese: 有备无患的原则让她的计划顺利进行。