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
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): bī-lâi

  (Teochew, Peng'im): bhuê⁷ lai⁵

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶vi-le₆

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• 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/
• 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/

---

• 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	/mʉiH/	/lʌi/
Pan Wuyun	/mʷɨiH/	/ləi/
Shao Rongfen	/miuəiH/	/lɒi/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mujH/	/ləj/
Li Rong	/miuəiH/	/lᴀi/
Wang Li	/mĭwəiH/	/lɒi/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mwe̯iH/	/lɑ̆i/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wèi	lái
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mei6	loi4

Noun

未來

1. 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

1. (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 female given name 【未来みく】 [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)

1. hanja form^? of 미래 (“the future”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
未	來

Noun

未來

1. chữ Hán form of vị lai (“the future”).