前 qián front / forward / ahead / first / top (followed by a number) / future / ago / before / BC (e.g. 前293年) / former / formerly syn 以后 以後 yǐ hòu after / later / afterwards / following / later on / in the future syn 未来 未來 wèi lái future / tomorrow / CL:個|个[ge4] / approaching / coming / pending syn 将来 將來 jiāng lái in the future / future / the future / CL:個|个[ge4] syn 前途 qián tú prospects / future outlook / journey syn 光明 guāng míng light / radiance / (fig.) bright (prospects etc) / openhearted syn 今后 今後 jīn hòu hereafter / henceforth / in the future / from now on syn 往后 往後 wǎng hòu from now on / in the future / time to come syn 看好 kàn hǎo to regard as having good prospects syn 早晚 zǎo wǎn morning and evening / (in reference to sth that is bound to happen) sooner or later / one of these days / (coll.) (this, or that) point of time / (dialect) at some time in the future syn 前程 qián chéng future (career etc) prospects syn 前景 qián jǐng foreground / vista / (future) prospects / perspective syn 后头 後頭 hòu tou behind / the back / the rear / later / afterwards / (in) the future syn 近期 jìn qī near in time / in the near future / very soon / recent syn 有朝一日 yǒu zhāo yī rì one day / sometime in the future 日后 日後 rì hòu sometime / someday (in the future) syn 到时 到時 dào shí at that (future) time syn 无望 無望 wú wàng without hope / hopeless / without prospects 后事 後事 hòu shì future events / and what happened next... (in fiction) / funeral arrangements syn 断送 斷送 duàn sòng to forfeit (future profit, one's life etc) / ruined syn 葬送 zàng sòng to hold a funeral procession and burial / to give sb a final send-off / (fig.) to ruin (one's future prospects etc) syn 传承 傳承 chuán chéng to pass on (to future generations) / passed on (from former times) / a continued tradition / an inheritance syn 无期 無期 wú qī unspecified period / in the indefinite future / no fixed time / indefinite sentence (i.e. life imprisonment) syn 远景 遠景 yuǎn jǐng scenery in the distance / long-term prospects / (photography) long shot 盼头 盼頭 pàn tou hopes / good prospects syn 后顾之忧 後顧之憂 hòu gù zhī yōu fears of trouble in the rear (idiom) / family worries (obstructing freedom of action) / worries about the future consequences / often in negative expressions, meaning "no worries about anything" 大有可为 大有可為 dà yǒu kě wéi with great prospects for the future (idiom) / well worth doing syn 大有作为 大有作為 dà yǒu zuò wéi to accomplish much / to have good prospects / to have a promising future syn 圆梦 圓夢 yuán mèng to fulfill one's dream / (divination) to predict the future by interpreting a dream / oneiromancy syn 长空 長空 cháng kōng (literary) the vast sky / (finance) eventual downturn / poor prospects in the long term syn 遥遥无期 遙遙無期 yáo yáo wú qī far in the indefinite future (idiom) / so far away it seems forever syn 空中楼阁 空中樓閣 kōng zhōng lóu gé pavilion in the air (idiom) / unrealistic Utopian construction / castles in Spain / imaginary future plans syn 康庄大道 康莊大道 kāng zhuāng dà dào broad and open road (idiom) / fig. brilliant future prospects syn 后任 後任 hòu rèn successor / to take up a position subsequently as ... / (attributive) future / subsequent syn 继往开来 繼往開來 jì wǎng kāi lái to follow the past and herald the future (idiom) / part of a historical transition / forming a bridge between earlier and later stages syn 鸿门宴 鴻門宴 hóng mén yàn Hongmen feast / (fig.) banquet set up with the aim of murdering a guest / refers to a famous episode in 206 BC when future Han emperor Liu Bang 劉邦|刘邦[Liu2 Bang1] escaped attempted murder by his rival Xiang Yu 項羽|项羽[Xiang4 Yu3] syn 盲流 máng liú (PRC) flow of people from the countryside into the cities / rural migrant without definite prospects / drifter syn 远期 遠期 yuǎn qī long-term / at a fixed date in the future (e.g. for repayment) / abbr. for 遠期合約|远期合约[yuan3 qi1 he2 yue1] 弥勒 彌勒 mí lè Maitreya, the future Bodhisattva, to come after Shakyamuni Buddha 承前启后 承前啟後 chéng qián qǐ hòu to follow the past and herald the future (idiom) / part of a historical transition / forming a bridge between earlier and later stages syn 童养媳 童養媳 tóng yǎng xí child bride / girl adopted into a family as future daughter-in-law 将会 將會 jiāng huì auxiliary verb introducing future action: may (be able to) / will (cause) / should (enable) / going to 往前 wǎng qián (in) the past / ahead / forward / in the future 愿景 願景 yuàn jǐng vision (of the future) 备查 備查 bèi chá for future reference 来日 來日 lái rì future days / (literary) the next day / (old) past days syn 潜力股 潛力股 qián lì gǔ stock that has potential to increase in value / (fig.) sb with good prospects 遥想 遙想 yáo xiǎng to think about (the distant past or future) syn 芝兰 芝蘭 zhī lán lit. iris and orchid / fig. exalted sentiments / (expr. of praise for noble character, beautiful surrounding, future prospects etc) syn 在未来 在未來 zài wèi lái in the future 前途无量 前途無量 qián tú wú liàng to have boundless prospects syn 鹏程万里 鵬程萬里 péng chéng wàn lǐ the fabled roc flies ten thousand miles (idiom) / one's future prospects are brilliant syn 未来学 未來學 wèi lái xué future studies 抓周 zhuā zhōu custom of placing a variety of articles (writing brush, abacus etc) before an infant on its first birthday to see which one he or she picks up (The article chosen is supposed to be an indication of the child's inclinations, future career etc.) 彖 tuàn to foretell the future using the trigrams of the Book of Changes 易經|易经 锦绣前程 錦繡前程 jǐn xiù qián chéng bright future / bright prospects 思前想后 思前想後 sī qián xiǎng hòu to consider past cause and future effect (idiom) / to think over the past and future / to ponder over reasons and connection syn 温故知新 溫故知新 wēn gù zhī xīn to review the old and know the new (idiom, from the Analects) / to recall the past to understand the future syn 下世 xià shì to die / future incarnation / next life / to be born / to come into the world / future generation syn 芝兰玉树 芝蘭玉樹 zhī lán yù shù lit. orchids and jade trees (idiom) / fig. a child with splendid future prospects 功高望重 gōng gāo wàng zhòng high merit and worthy prospects (idiom) 来日方长 來日方長 lái rì fāng cháng the future is long (idiom) / there will be ample time for that later / We'll cross that bridge when we get there 光前裕后 光前裕後 guāng qián yù hòu to bring honor to one's ancestors and benefit future generations (idiom) syn 及时行乐 及時行樂 jí shí xíng lè to enjoy the present (idiom) / to live happily with no thought for the future / make merry while you can / carpe diem 承上起下 chéng shàng qǐ xià to follow the past and herald the future (idiom) / part of a historical transition / forming a bridge between earlier and later stages 欲取姑予 yù qǔ gū yǔ variant of 欲取姑與|欲取姑与[yu4 qu3 gu1 yu3] / to make concessions for the sake of future gains (idiom) 祸福无常 禍福無常 huò fú wú cháng disaster and happiness do not follow rules (idiom) / future blessings and misfortunes are unpredictable 纵虎归山 縱虎歸山 zòng hǔ guī shān lit. to let the tiger return to the mountain / fig. to store up future calamities syn 鉴往知来 鑒往知來 jiàn wǎng zhī lái to observe the past to foresee the future (idiom, taken loosely from Book of Songs) / studying ancient wisdom gives insight into what is to come 阳关大道 陽關大道 yáng guān dà dào (lit.) the road through Yangguan 陽關|阳关[Yang2 guan1] / (fig.) wide open road / bright future syn 前景可期 qián jǐng kě qī to have a promising future / to have bright prospects 前途未卜 qián tú wèi bǔ hanging in the balance / the future is hard to forecast / ¿Qué serà? / who knows what the future holds? 世界经济形势与展望 世界經濟形勢與展望 World Economic Situation and Prospects 至2000年及其后欧洲木材趋势和展望 至2000年及其後歐洲木材趨勢和展望 European Timber Trends and Prospects to the Year 2000 and Beyond 欧洲木材趋势与前景研究 歐洲木材趨勢與前景研究 Study on European Timber Trends and Prospects 巴勒斯坦工业部门前景讨论会 巴勒斯坦工業部門前景討論會 Seminar on prospects for the Palestinian industrial sector 东西方贸易前景特别会议 東西方貿易前景特別會議 Special Meeting on Prospects for East-West Trade 阿以和平前景会议 阿以和平前景會議 Conference on the Prospects for an Arab-Israeli Peace 长期前景专家组 長期前景專家組 Group of Experts on Long-Term Prospects 拉丁美洲和加勒比外资筹措展望专家会议 拉丁美洲和加勒比外資籌措展望專家會議 Meeting of Experts on Prospects for External Financing for Latin America and the Caribbean 社会政策、卫生政策和死亡率前景讨论会 社會政策、衛生政策和死亡率前景討論會 Seminar on Social Policy, Health Policy and Mortality Prospects 世界社会前景协会 世界社會前景協會 World Social Prospects Association 非洲最不发达国家的问题与前景会议 非洲最不發達國家的問題與前景會議 Conference on the Problems and Prospects of the African Least Developed Countries 阿拉伯世界人口问题与前景 阿拉伯世界人口問題與前景 Population Problems and Prospects in the Arab World 欧洲经委会国家经济远景布达佩斯座谈会 歐洲經委會國家經濟遠景布達佩斯座談會 Budapest Symposium on Long-term Economic Prospects in ECE countries 事业线 事業線 shì yè xiàn (palmistry) fate line / career prospects line (running vertically up the palm to the base of the middle finger) / (slang) cleavage 短多 duǎn duō good prospects in the short term (finance) 短空 duǎn kōng poor prospects in the short term (finance) 长多 長多 cháng duō good prospects in the long term (finance) 潜力股男人 潛力股男人 qián lì gǔ nán rén man with good prospects 备而不用 備而不用 bèi ér bù yòng have sth ready just in case / keep sth for possible future use syn 经济前途 經濟前途 jīng jì qián tú economic future / economic outlook 下辈 下輩 xià bèi offspring / future generations / younger generation of a family / junior members of a group syn 事必有兆 shì bì yǒu zhào future events always have an omen (idiom) 人无远虑，必有近忧 人無遠慮，必有近憂 rén wú yuǎn lǜ , bì yǒu jìn yōu He who gives no thought to far-flung problems soon finds suffering nearby (idiom, from Analects). / Smug concentration on the here and now will lead to future sorrow. 前事不忘，后事之师 前事不忘，後事之師 qián shì bù wàng , hòu shì zhī shī don't forget past events, they can guide you in future (idiom) / benefit from past experience 卜占 bǔ zhān to divine / to prophesy / to foretell the future 危而不持 wēi ér bù chí national danger, but no support (idiom, from Analects) / the future of the nation is at stake but no-one comes to the rescue 有子存焉 yǒu zǐ cún yān I still have sons, don't I? / fig. future generations will continue the work 