前事不忘，后事之师

Traditional form:

前事不忘，後事之師

Pinyin (reading):

qiánshìbùwàng,hòushìzhīshī

Definitions:

• don't forget past events, they can guide you in future (idiom); benefit from past experience

Characters:

• 前 - in front, forward; former, preceding
• 事 - affair, matter, business; to serve; accident, incident
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 忘 - to forget, to miss, to neglect, to overlook
• 后 - after; behind, rear; descendants
• 事 - affair, matter, business; to serve; accident, incident
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 师 - teacher, professional, master

Traditional characters:

• 前 - in front, forward; former, preceding
• 事 - affair, matter, business; to serve; accident, incident
• 不 - no, not, un-; negative prefix
• 忘 - to forget, to miss, to neglect, to overlook
• 後 - after; behind, rear; descendants
• 事 - affair, matter, business; to serve; accident, incident
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 師 - teacher, professional, master