思前想后

思前想後
sīqiánxiǎnghòu
idiom HSK 7 #45,887

Meanings

  1. 1 to think over and over
  2. 2 to consider from all angles
  3. 3 to deliberate at length

Characters

Literally 'think before, think after' — mulling over every angle

Examples

Tā sīqiánxiǎnghòu, zuìzhōng juédìng cízhí.
After much deliberation, she finally decided to resign.
Tā sīqiánxiǎnghòu yě xiǎng bù chū hǎo bànfǎ.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with a good solution.

Tips

memory
Picture someone pacing back and forth ( forward, backward), lost in thought — that restless deliberation is 思前想后.

Stroke Order

qián
xiǎng
hòu