思前想后 sī qián xiǎng hòu Think it over

Explanation

思前想后指的是对事情发生的缘由和发展后果进行反复思考。

Siqian xiang hou means to repeatedly consider the causes and consequences of an event.

Origin Story

话说古代一位名叫李明的书生，一心想考取功名，光宗耀祖。一日，他接到邻村一位秀才的邀请，去参加他家的宴会。李明思前想后，既想参加宴会结交朋友，又担心耽误了学习，影响考试。于是，他反复权衡利弊，最终决定推掉宴会，安心在家复习。他思前想后，觉得这样做才是最符合自己利益的，于是他写了一封信，婉言谢绝了邀请。几天后，他收到秀才的回信，秀才在信中表示理解。李明安心学习，最终金榜题名，实现了自己的梦想。

huì shuō gǔdài yī wèi míng jiào lǐ míng de shūshēng, yīxīn xiǎng kǎo qǔ gōngmíng, guāng zōng yàozǔ。yī rì, tā jiē dào lín cūn yī wèi xiù cái de yāoqǐng, qù cānjiā tā jiā de yànhuì。lǐ míng sī qián xiǎng hòu, jì xiǎng cānjiā yànhuì jiéjiāo péngyou, yòu dānxīn dānwù le xuéxí, yǐngxiǎng kǎoshì。yúshì, tā fǎnfù quán héng lìbì, zuìzhōng juédìng tuī diào yànhuì, ānxīn zài jiā fùxí。tā sī qián xiǎng hòu, juéde zhè yàng zuò cái shì zuì fúhé zìjǐ lìyì de, yúshì tā xiě le yī fēng xìn, wǎnyán xièjué le yāoqǐng。jǐ tiān hòu, tā shōu dào xiù cái de huíxìn, xiù cái zài xìn zhōng biǎoshì lǐjiě。lǐ míng ānxīn xuéxí, zuìzhōng jīn bǎng tímíng, shíxiàn le zìjǐ de mèngxiǎng。

Once upon a time, there was a scholar named Li Ming who wanted to pass the imperial examination and bring honor to his ancestors. One day, he received an invitation from a fellow scholar in a neighboring village to attend a banquet. Li Ming thought it over. He wanted to attend the banquet to make friends, but he was also worried that it would affect his studies and the exam. So, he weighed the pros and cons and finally decided to decline the banquet and stay home to study. After carefully considering, he felt that this was the best decision for him, so he wrote a letter politely declining the invitation. A few days later, he received a reply from the scholar expressing his understanding. Li Ming devoted himself to his studies and eventually passed the examination, realizing his dream.

Usage

形容反复思考，谨慎权衡利弊。

xiángróng fǎnfù sīkǎo, jǐn shèn quán héng lìbì。

It describes repeatedly thinking and carefully weighing the pros and cons.

Examples

• 他思前想后，决定放弃这次冒险。

  tā sī qián xiǎng hòu, juédìng fàngqì zhè cì màoxiǎn。

  He thought it over and decided to give up this adventure.

• 面对如此复杂的局面，她思前想后，决定谨慎行事。

  miàn duì rúcǐ fùzá de júmiàn, tā sī qián xiǎng hòu, juédìng jǐn shèn xíngshì。

  Faced with such a complicated situation, she thought it over and decided to act cautiously.

• 这件事关系重大，我必须思前想后，做出最稳妥的决定。

  zhè jiàn shì guānxi zhòngdà, wǒ bìxū sī qián xiǎng hòu, zuò chū zuì wěntuǒ de juédìng。

  This matter is of great importance, I must think it over and make the most stable decision.

Related Idioms

• 三思而后行

• 深思熟虑

Opposite Idioms

• 鲁莽

• 冲动