With all the commotion surrounding the fear of the new virus recently, I can’t help but think of a particular proverb:

　　最近大家都在家躲新型病毒，

　　瑟瑟发抖的我不禁想起一句应景的英文谚语：

　　“A stitch in time saves nine.”

　　“一针及时，可省九针。”

　　In fact, New York Senator Chuck Schumer had said in a statement in regards to the new coronavirus on January 26:

　　正如纽约参议员Chuck Schumer在1月26日就新型冠状病毒发表的一份声明中说的那样：

　　“If we have learned anything from the risks that new viruses pose to public health it is that a ‘stitch in time saves nine,’ and the more we can do to be proactive, the better off the public will be.”

　　“如果问我公众能从新型病毒带来的危害中学到了什么，那就是‘一针及时，可省九针。’ 我们越能未雨绸缪，人们就越能安康。”

　　So what does “a stitch in time saves nine” mean here?

　　所以，“一针及时，可省九针”在这里是什么意思?

　　Meaning

　　啥意思?

　　The meaning of this well-known proverb is: if you try to solve the problem as soon as you can, then it will save you some extra work later on.

　　这句著名的谚语的含义是：

　　如果你能尽快解决当下的问题，

　　那就为之后的工作省去许多不必要的麻烦。

　　Origin

　　怎么来滴?

　　There are a number of theories on the origin of this proverb, but the most popular theory is that it originated from sewing! If you stitch up a hole that you see immediately…then you won’t have to worry about it later (when the hole gets bigger).

　　这句谚语的有很多理论起源，

　　但最流行的说法是它起源于缝纫

　　也就是如果你一看到洞就能立即缝上，

　　那你就没有后顾之忧了(洞就不会越破越大)。

　　But then why is “nine” used here? Most likely because “nine” kind of rhymes with “time”.

　　为什么是 “9”?

　　可能是因为“9(nine)”和“时间(time)”有点押韵。

　　Yep, it’s just that simple…because it rhymes.

　　对，就是这种谐音梗。

　　In the case of this new coronavirus, “a stitch in time saves nine” means, if it needs immediate attention, then give it the attention now!

　　在新型冠状病毒肆虐的形势下，

　　“一针及时，可省九针”的意思也可以解读为

　　“如想消它气焰，现在就要给足重视!

　　But this proverb can also be used when talking about procrastination as well. “A stitch in time saves nine” can be used to warn someone who loves to procrastinate. It's a reminder for them that the more they put off the work they have to do…the harder it can get!

　　顺便说一句，这个谚语也可以用来

　　「谈论拖延症」

　　“一针及时，可省九针”可以用来

　　警醒那些拖延癌患者

　　意思是：工作越拖，就做的越难还越多…

　　For example: You should review all your notes right after class instead of waiting to review them just before an exam! A stitch in time saves nine!

　　比如：

　　“你应该在课后复习所有的笔记，而不是等到考试前抱佛脚。一针及时，可省九针啊。”