未来 wèilái future
future; tomorrow; approaching; coming; pending
How to remember 未来: 未 not yet + 来 come = future.
Characters
How it is used
- The future as a noun or 'upcoming' as a modifier - 未来五年 (wèilái wǔ nián) the next five years; 未来的计划 (wèilái de jìhuà) future plans.
- More formal/abstract than 将来 (jiānglái), which is common in personal talk (你将来想做什么). 未来 dominates in writing, tech, and grand visions.
- Note 将 = future prospect vs 未 = not-yet; both point ahead but 未来 feels weightier.
Example sentences
- 你有光明的未来。 Nǐ yǒu guāngmíng de wèilái.You have a bright future.
- 孩子是我们的未来。 Háizi shì wǒmen de wèilái.Children are our future.
- 他正在思考他未来的生活。 Tā zhèngzài sīkǎo tā wèilái de shēnghuó.He was meditating on his future life.