The future can be 10,000 miles. Describe someone with a promising and unlimited future.
Idiom Pronunciation:
前程万里
qián chéng wàn lǐ
Origin:
《南楚新闻·崔铉》：随父访于韩公况。滉见而怜之。父曰：“此子尔来诗道颇长。”滉乃指驾上鹰命咏焉，遂命笺笔。略无伫思，于是进曰：“天边心性架头身，欲拟飞腾未有因。万里碧霄终一去，不知谁是解绦人。”滉益奇之，叹曰：“此儿可谓前程万里也。”
Story:
During the Tang Dynasty, there was a man called Cui Xian, the son of minister Cui Yuanliu.
When he was six years old, he followed his father to visit Han Hwang, the chancellor at the time. Han Hwang was very pleased with the visit of Cui Xuan and his son and received him warmly. Han Hwang was very pleased to see how intelligent and clever Cui Xian was and he liked him very much. They sat together and had a good time talking about the past and the present, as well as the scriptures and literature.
During the conversation, Cui Yuanliu said, “This boy has recently made great progress in his ability to write poetry.” On hearing this, Han Han wanted to test Cui Xian’s poetic talent, so he pointed to an eagle on a shelf and asked Cui Xian to write an impromptu poem. Cui Xun readily accepted the request, took the paper and pencil and gave it some thought. He picked up the pen and wrote with a flourish. The poem reads, “The heart and guts of the sky are on the head and body of the eagle, but there is no reason for it to soar.
After reading the poem, Han Hwang could not help but exclaim, “What a great poem! What a great poem! This boy will have a great future, and his future is unlimited!” Cui Xuan grew up to be very successful.
In 768 A.D., he was accepted into the imperial examinations and began his career as an official. Emperor Xuanzong admired his talent and virtue and described him as a “true nobleman”. He held important posts such as Minister of the Central Secretariat, Minister of the East of the River, Minister of the Imperial Household, and Minister of the South of Huainan.
Similar Idioms:
- 前途无量
- 前程似锦
