best laid plans

English

Etymology

Shortened form of “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”, translated from Scots “The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, / Gang aft agley,” from To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough by Robert Burns (text and reading of poem).

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Noun

best laid plans (singular best laid plan)

1. (idiomatic) A proverbial expression used to signify the futility of making detailed plans when the ability to fully or even partially execute them is uncertain.

Translations

idiom used to signify the futility

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 人算不如天算 (zh) (rén suàn bùrú tiān suàn, literally “man’s plans cannot compare to heaven’s plans”), ^{(please verify)} 計劃趕不上變化／计划赶不上变化 (jìhuà ganbúshàng biànhuà, literally “plans never catch up changes”)