Unstringing the bow does not cure the wound.
Unstringing the bow does not cure the wound.
Meaning in plain English
Stopping the action that caused harm does not repair its consequences. After ending harmful behaviour, consider what recovery, acknowledgement or restitution is still needed.
Example
A group stops publishing an inaccurate notice but also contacts people misled by it and issues a clear correction rather than saying deletion resolved everything.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
An unstrung bow cannot send another arrow, but the earlier wound remains. The proverb distinguishes prevention of further harm from repair of harm already done. Both matter, and one should not be offered as if it automatically accomplishes the other. A person responsible for a mistake can first stop repeating it, then ask what damage remains and what can reasonably be repaired. Forgiveness is a separate choice for the person affected. The image does not prescribe a particular remedy for every injury.
When to use it
Use it to distinguish ending a harmful action from addressing its effects.
Keep in mind
Repair may have limits and should follow the affected person’s needs. Stopping harm remains valuable even when full restoration is impossible.
Edsverb editorial interpretation · agent reviewed · 2026-10-05. This explains the saying; it does not establish its historical origin.
- Source
- A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs (1857)
Printed page 14; French section, paragraph 282; source wording: Débander l’arc ne guérit pas la plaie.
Read the original context ↗ - Attribution confidence
- traditional · historical anthology
Preserved as printed; independently unverified. - Historical coordinate
- Undated
No reliable date supplied by the collection. - Rights & edition
- Public domain (United States)
Translations and rights may differ elsewhere.
Provenance and licences ↗