Chinese

Verb

綢繆

1. bind tightly
2. (figuratively) to fix

   未雨綢繆 / 未雨绸缪  ―  wèiyǔchóumiào  ―  to fix before raining (literally: to prepare before it is too late)

   宜未雨而綢繆，毋臨渴而掘井。 [MSC, trad.]

   宜未雨而绸缪，毋临渴而掘井。 [MSC, simp.]

   From: Zhūzǐ Jiāxùn: the familial rules of Zhuzi (full text here)

   Yí wèi yǔ ér chóumiào, wú lín kě ér jué jǐng. [Pinyin]

   [One] should, [when it is] not yet raining, bind tightly [the window]. [One] should not [wait] until [one is] thirsty [to] dig [a] well.
   (Literally: One should prepare before it is too late, see 未雨綢繆／未雨绸缪 (wèi yǔ chóumóu) and 臨渴掘井／临渴掘井.)

3. be sentimentally attached

Japanese

Noun

綢繆 ‎(hiragana ちゅうびゅう, romaji chūbyū)

1. coiled about, tied and tied thread
2. familiar, close

Derived terms

• 合歓綢繆 (ごうかんちゅうびゅう) ‎(gōkanchūbyū)