百年大计
百年大计 (bǎi nián dà jì) literally means “hundred-year great plan” and expresses “long-term plan; matter of lasting importance”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving strategy and action.
Also searched as: bai nian da ji, bai nian da ji,百年大计 meaning, 百年大计 in english
Long-term plan; matter of lasting importance
Pronunciation: bǎi nián dà jì Literal meaning: Hundred-year great plan
Origin & Usage
A plan (计) reaching a hundred (百) years (年), on the largest (大) scale. 百年 is conventional rather than counted — Chinese uses it for any span longer than a life — so what the phrase claims is a horizon beyond the reach of the people making the decision, which is exactly the argument hardest to win. It attaches most often to education, infrastructure and forestry. It is used to head off short-term reasoning, and the sentence it appears in is almost always making the case for spending now.
Examples
English: "Education is a long-term investment in the nation's future."
Chinese: 教育是国家的百年大计。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about strategy & action
千锤百炼
qiān chuí bǎi liàn
Perfected through repeated refinement
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长年累月
cháng nián lěi yuè
Over a long period of time
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百尺竿头
bǎi chǐ gān tóu
Already at a very high level of attainment
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百发百中
bǎi fā bǎi zhòng
Perfect accuracy every single time
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百思不解
bǎi sī bù jiě
Unable to understand despite much thought
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百无聊赖
bǎi wú liáo lài
Utterly bored; at loose ends
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推陈出新
tuī chén chū xīn
Create new from old
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春蚕到死
chūn cán dào sǐ
Give out until nothing is left
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 百年大计 mean in English?
百年大计 (bǎi nián dà jì) literally translates to “Hundred-year great plan” and is used to express “Long-term plan; matter of lasting importance”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Strategy & Action category.
When is 百年大计 used?
Situation: Education is a long-term investment in the nation's future.
What is the pinyin for 百年大计?
The pinyin pronunciation for 百年大计 is “bǎi nián dà jì”.
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