只有向后看才能理解生活，但要生活得好，则必须向前看。

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.

Source: Tatoeba

Sentence Composition

1 只有 zhǐyǒu
  1. only have ...; there is only ...
  2. (used in combination with 才 cái) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通过治疗才能痊愈 zhǐyǒutōngguòzhìliáocáinéngquányù "the only way to cure it is with therapy")
  3. it is only (someone) who ... (as in 只有男性才有此需要 zhǐyǒunánxìngcáiyǒucǐxūyào "only men would have such a requirement")
  4. (used to express lack of alternatives) can only; have no choice but to (as in 只有屈服 zhǐyǒuqūfú "the only thing you can do is give in")
2 向后 xiànghòu backward
=3 看 kān
  1. to look after
  2. to take care of
  3. to watch
  4. to guard
=3 看 kàn
  1. to see; to look at
  2. to read
  3. to watch
  4. to visit; to call on
  5. to consider; to regard as
  6. to look after
  7. to treat (a patient or illness)
  8. to depend on
  9. to feel (that)
  10. (after a verb) to give it a try
  11. to watch out for
4 才能 cáinéng
  1. talent
  2. ability
  3. capacity
5 理解 lǐjiě to comprehend; to understand
6 生活 shēnghuó
  1. to live
  2. life
  3. livelihood
7 但 dàn
  1. but; yet; however; still
  2. merely; only; just
=8 要 yāo (bound form) to demand; to coerce
=8 要 yào
  1. to want; to need; to ask for
  2. will; shall; about to
  3. need to; should
  4. if (same as 要是 yàoshi)
  5. (bound form) important
=8 要 yǎo
  1. (archaic) alternative form of 偠 (yǎo)
  2. alternative form of 偠 (yǎo)
  3. used in 要褭／要袅
9 生活 shēnghuó
  1. to live
  2. life
  3. livelihood
=10 得 dé
  1. to obtain
  2. to get
  3. to gain
  4. to catch (a disease)
  5. proper
  6. suitable
  7. proud
  8. contented
  9. to allow
  10. to permit
  11. ready
  12. finished
=10 得 dè used in 得瑟 dèse
=10 得 de structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc
=10 得 děi
  1. to have to
  2. must
  3. ought to
  4. to need to
=11 好 hǎo
  1. good
  2. appropriate; proper
  3. all right!
  4. (before a verb) easy to
  5. (before a verb) good to
  6. (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so
  7. (verb complement indicating completion)
  8. (of two people) close; on intimate terms
  9. (after a personal pronoun) hello
=11 好 hào to be fond of; to have a tendency to; to be prone to
12 则 zé
  1. (literary) (conjunction used to express contrast with a previous clause) but; then
  2. (bound form) standard; norm
  3. (bound form) principle
  4. (literary) to imitate; to follow
  5. classifier for written items
13 必须 bìxū
  1. to have to
  2. must
  3. compulsory
  4. necessarily
14 向前看 xiàngqiánkàn
  1. (figurative) to look to the future
  2. (pun, slang) alternative form of 向錢看 /向钱看 (“to look toward money; to be focused on money”)
  3. alternative form of 向錢看 /向钱看 (“to look toward money; to be focused on money”)
  4. to look to the front; to look straight ahead
  5. to look to the future