Definition

1. Adverb:
   • In the future, later on, hereafter: Refers to a time that is yet to come, often a distant or unspecified future time. It conveys a sense of looking forward to what will happen after the present moment.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:
  • Chúng ta hãy cùng nhau xây dựng một tương lai tươi sáng mai sau. (Let's work together to build a bright future hereafter.)
  • Những việc làm tốt đẹp hôm nay sẽ mang lại kết quả tốt mai sau. (Good deeds today will yield good results in the future.)
  • Anh ấy hy vọng mai sau sẽ trở thành một bác sĩ. (He hopes later on he will become a doctor.)

Advanced Usage

• "đời mai sau" / "kiếp mai sau": These phrases are often used in philosophical, spiritual, or poetic contexts to refer to a future life, reincarnation, or the afterlife.
  • Con người ta thường tin vào sự tồn tại của một đời mai sau. (People often believe in the existence of a future life.)
• Used to express hopes, plans, or consequences that will manifest in a future time, emphasizing a temporal separation from the present.

Variants and Related Words

• Sau này (Adverb/Phrase): Later, in the future. This is a more common and direct synonym for "mai sau".
  • Sau này tôi muốn đi du lịch vòng quanh thế giới. (Later, I want to travel around the world.)
• Tương lai (Noun): The future. While "mai sau" is an adverb meaning "in the future", "tương lai" is the noun for "future".
  • Tương lai của đất nước nằm trong tay thế hệ trẻ. (The future of the country lies in the hands of the young generation.)
• Ngày sau (Adverb/Phrase): In days to come, hereafter. Similar to "mai sau" but can sound slightly more literary.

Synonyms

• Về sau: Afterwards, later.
• Sau nầy: Later on (Southern Vietnamese variant of "sau này").

Related Phrases

• Cho mai sau: For the future (generations). This phrase highlights actions taken for the benefit of those who come later.
  • Chúng ta phải bảo vệ môi trường cho mai sau. (We must protect the environment for the future.)

Related Idioms

• "Trồng cây cho mai sau": Literally "to plant trees for the future". This idiom means to do good deeds or make investments (of time, effort, care) whose benefits will be reaped by future generations.
  • Giáo dục con cái chính là trồng cây cho mai sau. (Educating children is precisely planting trees for the future.)

1. in the future