Given the thousands upon thousands of kanji kicking around, it’s unsurprising that there’s at least one more way to represent “previous” or “preceding.” The frequently used kanji 先 (SEN, saki) is another slippery character that can mean both “first” and “last,” as well as “the future,” “recent,” and “previous”!
When 後 teams up with 先, here are two possible outcomes:
後先 (atosaki: front and rear, both ends, consequences)
last + first先憂後楽 (senyū kōraku: hardship now, pleasure later)
before + to grieve + after + pleasure
This compound seems like a compact version of a proverb. A longer interpretation is “seeking pleasure only after dealing with difficulties.” And here’s an even wordier take on it: “seeking pleasure only after the happiness of the people is assured (a precept to be observed by a ruler).”
