防患未燃 fánghuànwèirán to nip in the bud Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 防患 fánghuàn to take preventative measures to prevent disaster, accidents, or trouble from occurring; to guard against potential harm未 wèi adverb not yet (bound form) not yet; have not; did not; shows that something has not happened or is not yet complete燃 rán verb to burn to burn; to ignite; to light