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后患无穷
后患无穷
后患无穷
后患无穷
后患无穷
后患无穷
后患无穷
后患无穷

后患无穷 — “To lead to endless troubles or consequences in the future”

后患无穷 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to lead to endless troubles or consequences in the future”. To sow the seeds of future calamities. Literally, “future troubles without end”.

Frequency

后患无穷 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 后hòu
  • 患huàn
  • 无wú
  • 穷qióng

后患无穷 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
后
hòu6after, behind, empress
患
huàn11suffer from illness or disaster
无
wú4without, not having
穷
qióng7poor, exhausted, investigate

Example Sentence with 后患无穷

如果不及时修补屋顶的漏洞,等到雨季来临,可能会后患无穷
If the leak in the roof isn't fixed in time, when the rainy season arrives, it could lead to endless troubles.

Origin and Story of 后患无穷

In the first year of Jian'an (196 AD) during Emperor Xian's reign, Liu Bei, the Governor of Xuzhou, sought refuge with Cao Cao after being attacked by Yuan Shu. Cao Cao outwardly treated Liu Bei with importance, allowing him to recruit soldiers and horses to attack Yuan Shao in Xuzhou.

However, his strategist Guo Jia, upon hearing that Liu Bei was allowed to leave, warned that it would surely lead to endless future troubles.

Cao Cao immediately realized this and led his troops to attack Xuzhou. Liu Bei promptly sought refuge with Yuan Shao.

Idioms Related to 后患无穷

Synonyms of 后患无穷

  • fàng放hǔ虎guī归shān山release a danger to cause future trouble
  • huò祸bù不dān单xíng行misfortunes never come singly

Antonyms of 后患无穷

  • hòu后fú福wú无liàng量immeasurable future blessings
  • zhǎn斩cǎo草chú除gēn根Eradicate evil or trouble completely

More idioms starting with 后

  • hòu后bù不wéi为lì例not to be taken as a precedent
  • hòu后bù不jiàn僭xiān先Latercomers do not overstep earlier ones
  • hòu后yǎng仰qián前hé合rock back and forth with laughter
  • hòu后huì会kě可qī期We can expect to meet again
  • hòu后huì会wú无qī期parting ways with no definite date
  • hòu后huì会yǒu有qī期We'll meet again
  • hòu后huì会nán难qī期Uncertain when we will meet again
  • hòu后fā发zhì制rén人counterattack after opponent's move
  • hòu后tái台lǎo老bǎn板real power behind the scenes
  • hòu后hé合qián前yǎng仰rocking with laughter
  • hòu后shí实xiān先shēng声intimidate first, act later
  • hòu后xiàng巷qián前jiē街the entire neighborhood and its residents

Questions about 后患无穷

What does 后患无穷 mean?
后患无穷 (hòu huàn wú qióng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to lead to endless troubles or consequences in the future”.
How do you pronounce 后患无穷?
后患无穷 is pronounced hòu huàn wú qióng in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 后患无穷 literally mean?
Literally, 后患无穷 means “future troubles without end”. It is used to mean “to lead to endless troubles or consequences in the future”.
Where does 后患无穷 come from?
后患无穷 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 后患无穷?
以后的祸害没有个完。
Copy the pinyin for 后患无穷 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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