Looking up...
不久
bù jiǔ
soon
他不久就会回来。
He will be back soon.
formal
in a short time; soon
天气不久就会转暖。
The weather will warm up soon.
她不久前还在这里。
She was here not long ago.
Used to indicate a future event that will happen in a short period.
formal
not long after; soon afterwards
他刚走不久。
He left not long ago.
Used to indicate a past event that happened a short time ago.
Pro Tip
Time reference
不久 can refer to both past ('not long ago') and future ('soon'). Context determines the exact meaning.
Gold Rule
Position in sentence
不久 typically appears at the beginning or middle of a sentence, often followed by a time-related verb or phrase.
Word Origin
Composed of 不 (not) + 久 (long time), originally meaning 'not for a long time'. The modern usage evolved to indicate brevity in time.
Usage Notes
Used in both past and future contexts to indicate a short duration. Common in written Chinese and formal speech.
Word Breakdown
不
not
adverb久
long time
noun汉英词典