jam tomorrow

For term searches and specialty glossaries, please try the new GBK glossaries
15:59 Mar 2, 2020
English to Chinese translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
Additional field(s): General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters, Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
English term or phrase: jam tomorrow
Definition from Macmillan Dictionary:
Something good that is promised but never happens. The phrase "jam tomorrow" was coined by Lewis Carroll in his children's story "Through the Looking Glass". The White Queen tells Alice, "The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day."

Example sentence(s):
  • An innovation pessimist could dismiss [current innovations being fueled by cheap processing power] as "jam tomorrow". But the idea that technology-led growth must either continue unabated or steadily decline, rather than ebbing and flowing, is at odds with history. The Economist
  • Even though work on the eastern bypass will start very shortly, I am not sure I will truly believe it until I see cars driving up and down it, so talk of a southern link going to Winsford will seem even more like more jam tomorrow. Winsford and Middlewich Guardian
  • In the coming year, many other high-profile tech unicorns will face similar challenges. They’ll will do well to focus on being smaller, profitable companies than larger ones promising jam tomorrow. Wired
Glossary-building KudoZ




This question was created by:


This question will remain open until an answer receives the required level of agreement from peers. Submission is still possible.


Summary of translations provided
5王后说,“在我的规则里只有昨天和明天有果酱,今天不可能有。”
Enshi Zhang
3黃粱一夢
Mark Lam
3浮云
Lucy Liang


Discussion entries: 1





  

Translations offered


11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
王后说,“在我的规则里只有昨天和明天有果酱,今天不可能有。”


Definition from own experience or research:
比喻将来才兑现的承诺,可能永远不可能发生。

Example sentence(s):
Enshi Zhang
United States
Local time: 08:42
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 days 11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
黃粱一夢


Definition from http://www.chinesewords.org/ (漢語網):
黃粱:小米。比喻虛幻不能實現的夢想。

Example sentence(s):
  • 因應舉不第,道經邯鄲,得遇正陽子師父,點化黃粱一夢,遂成仙道。 - 元.范康《竹葉舟.第一折》 

Explanation:
"黃粱一夢" is a Chinese idiom coined from a traditional Chinese story where Lo (盧), an academic, dreamed of becoming rich and powerful while staying at a hostel. But this broke apart as he woke and returned to reality, realizing that this promised future would never come true. The notion of "黃粱一夢" thus matches with that of "jam tomorrow".
Mark Lam
Hong Kong
Local time: 20:42
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

4 days   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
浮云


Definition from own experience or research:
The literal meaning of the translation is "floating clouds". Depending on the context, it can refer to things that are way out there, things that are beyond people's control, things that people want but cannot obtain. It could also mean things that are insignificant (again, depending on the context).

This translation might work in the 2nd example, and maybe even the 1st one.

Example sentence(s):
  • 新华字典:浮云另一方面是那些想要却得不到的东西 - Xinhua Dictionary  
Lucy Liang
Local time: 08:42
Native speaker of: Native in ChineseChinese
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.


See also:
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search