The sages have already preceded you; the rabbis have already preceded you./ our Rabbis have long anticipated (preceded) you
The Sages had already dealt with this subject before you; it has already been thought about.
("He said to him: 'What are these for?' He said to him: 'My heart is troubled [to the house of the rabbi].' He said to him: 'The rabbis have already preceded you'" - Hullin 105a; and likewise: "And had you not taught me that we have no business with hidden matters, I would have said that someone else had already preceded me in this" - Agnon, Only Yesterday, 209)
Translation
Expression (Hebrew)
כְּבָר קְדָמוּךָ חֲכָמִים, כְּבָר קְדָמוּךָ רַבָּנָן
Definition (Hebrew)
כְּבָר הִקְדִּימוּ אוֹתְךָ חָזָ"ל וְעָסְקוּ בַּנּוֹשֵׂא. כְּבָר חָשְׁבוּ עַל זֶה הַחֲכָמִים.
("אָמַר לֵהּ:הָנִי לְהִיכָא (אֵלּוּ לְהֵיכָן)? אָמַר לֵהּ: לִבִּי מַר (לְבֵית הָרַב), אָמַר לֵהּ: כְּבָר קְדָמוּךָ רַבָּנָן"-חֻלִּין קה ע"א, וְכֵן:"וְאִלְמָלֵא לֹא לִמַּדְתַּנִי שֶׁאֵין לָנוּ עֵסֶק בְּנִסְתָּרוֹת הָיִיתִי אוֹמֵר שֶׁכְּבָר קַדְמָנִי בּוֹ אַחֵר"-עַגְנוֹן/ תְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם, 209)