前程似锦
qián chéng sì jǐn
to have a bright future
Character by character
前qián
ahead
ahead
程chéng
road
road
似sì
like
like
锦jǐn
brocade
brocade
Example
同学们在毕业纪念册上互相写下“前程似锦”。
Classmates write “a future like brocade” in one another’s leavers’ books.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
Usually a wish rather than a description: 祝你前程似锦 is the standard line on graduation cards, at leaving parties and when a colleague moves on. 锦绣前程 (lesson 3-13) is the noun phrase: 有一个锦绣前程.
Learn this in Lesson 180 · HSK 7–9: 毕业生的两条路 (Graduates at the crossroads)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
Open the lesson →