未來

See also: 未来

Chinese

	not yet; 8th earthly branch; 1–3 p.m.	to come
trad. (未來)	未	來
simp. (未来)	未	来
Literally: “(that which) has not come”.

Etymology

Originally a Buddhist calque of Sanskrit अनागत (anāgata, “not yet come; future”, past participle), from अन्- (an-, “not”) + आगत (āgata, “what has come”), from the verb root आगम् (āgam, “to come”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wèilái

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˋ ㄌㄞˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): mei⁶ loi⁴ / mei⁶ lai⁴ / mei⁶ lei⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): vi-lòi

(Hailu, HRS): vui^˖ loi / mui^˖ loi
Eastern Min (BUC): uôi-lài
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): bi⁵ lai²
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): bī-lâi

(Teochew, Peng'im): bhuê⁷ lai⁵
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶vi-le₆ / ²vi₆-le₂

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wèilái
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˋ ㄌㄞˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wèilái
  - Wade–Giles: wei⁴-lai²
  - Yale: wèi-lái
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: weylai
  - Palladius: вэйлай (vɛjlaj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: mei⁶ loi⁴ / mei⁶ lai⁴ / mei⁶ lei⁴
  - Yale: meih lòih / meih làih / meih lèih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: mei⁶ loi⁴ / mei⁶ lai⁴ / mei⁶ lei⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: méi⁶ loi⁴ / méi⁶ lei⁴ / méi⁶ léi⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mei̯²² lɔːi̯²¹/, /mei̯²² lɐi̯²¹/, /mei̯²² lei̯²¹/

Note:

mei6 loi4 - literary;
mei6 lai4, mei6 lei4 - colloquial.

Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vi-lòi
  - Hakka Romanization System: vi loi^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: vi⁴ loi²
  - Sinological IPA: /vi⁵⁵ loi̯¹¹/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: vui^˖ loi / mui^˖ loi
  - Sinological IPA: /vui³³ loi⁵⁵/, /mui³³ loi⁵⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: uôi-lài
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui²⁴²⁻⁵⁵ l̃ai⁵³/
Puxian Min
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: bi⁵ lai²
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: bī-lái
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi¹¹ lai¹³/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: bi⁵ lai²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi²¹ lai²⁴/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bī-lâi
  - Tâi-lô: bī-lâi
  - Phofsit Daibuun: bixlaai
  - IPA (Xiamen): /bi²²⁻²¹ lai²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /bi⁴¹⁻²² lai²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /bi²²⁻²¹ lai¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /bi³³⁻¹¹ lai²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /bi³³⁻²¹ lai²³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: bhuê⁷ lai⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: buē lâi
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /bue¹¹ lai⁵⁵/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶vi-le₆
  - MiniDict: vi^去 le^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³vi-le₃
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /vi²² le⁴⁴/
- (Northern: Suzhou)
  - Wugniu: ²vi₆-le₂
  - MiniDict: vi^去 le^平
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /vi²² le³³/

Middle Chinese: mj+jH loj

Rime
Character	未	來
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	微 (21)	咍 (41)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	無沸切	洛哀切
Baxter	mj+jH	loj
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mʉi^H/	/lʌi/
Pan Wuyun	/mʷɨi^H/	/ləi/
Shao Rongfen	/miuəi^H/	/lɒi/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/muj^H/	/ləj/
Li Rong	/miuəi^H/	/lᴀi/
Wang Li	/mĭwəi^H/	/lɒi/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mwe̯i^H/	/lɑ̆i/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wèi	lái
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mei⁶	loi⁴

Noun

未來

future
放眼未來／放眼未来 ― fàngyǎn wèilái ― looking forward
- 書籍培養了她豐富的想象力和對於美好未來的憧憬。 [MSC, trad.]
  书籍培养了她丰富的想象力和对于美好未来的憧憬。 [MSC, simp.]
  From: 1958 January, Yang Mo, 《青春之歌》
  Shūjí péiyǎng le tā fēngfù de xiǎngxiànglì hé duìyú měihǎo wèilái de chōngjǐng. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Synonyms

將來／将来 (jiānglái)

Derived terms

未來主義 / 未来主义 (wèiláizhǔyì)
未來可期 / 未来可期 (wèiláikěqī)
未來學 / 未来学 (wèiláixué)
未來派 / 未来派 (wèiláipài)

Adjective

未來

(attributive) coming; approaching; pending

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (未來):

→ Japanese: 未(み)来(らい) (mirai)
→ Korean: 미래(未來) (mirae)
→ Vietnamese: vị lai (未來)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
未	來
み Grade: 4	らい Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 未來 – see the following entry.

【未来みらい】	[noun] the future [noun] (Buddhism) the future, one of the three existences [noun] (grammar) the future tense [proper noun] a unisex given name
【未来みく】	[proper noun] a female given name
【未来みくる】	[proper noun] a female given name

(This term, 未來, is the kyūjitai of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja in this term
未	來

Noun

未來 • (mirae) (hangeul 미래)

hanja form^? of 미래 (“the future”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
未	來

Noun

未來

chữ Hán form of vị lai (“the future”)