往前推 / 往后推
to count back / forward in time; to move a date earlier / later
Structure
从 + 时间点 往前推／往后推 + 时长 ， 就是…
What it means
To count back or forward along a timeline; with plans, to bring something forward or put it off. 推 here means to slide along.
How it is built
从 + time point + 往前推／往后推 + length，就是…: 从2026年往前推六十年，就是1966年 (count back sixty years from 2026 and you get 1966).
When to use it
Spoken and practical. With a schedule, 往前推 = 提前 (bring forward) and 往后推 = 推迟 (postpone). 往上推三代 goes back three generations; 倒推 is to work backwards from a result.
Watch out
往前 is always earlier and 往后 later: ✓会议往后推一周 (postponed a week). The length comes after 推: ✗往后一周推。 ✓往后推一周。
Examples
从2026年往前推六十年，1966年也是丙午年。
Count back sixty years from 2026 and 1966 was a 丙午 year too.
会议往后推一周，改到下周三。
The meeting has been put back a week, to next Wednesday.
Learn this in Lesson 214 · HSK 9+: 生肖与干支 (The zodiac and the sixty-year cycle)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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