Drawing on a ground-preference cognitive style on the basis of object-centered value orientation, Chinese prefers to take the structure of temporal sequence as a frame of reference to conceptualize 前/qián (preceding) and 后/hòu (following) in the horizontally temporal relationship. By contrast, in light of a figure-preference cognitive style on the basis of ego-centered value orientation, English tends to conceptualize forward/back in a journey-metaphor frame of reference. In the case of English, a traveler’s face toward the destination in future is regarded as forward, unless the traveler/observer’s direction is eclipsed by the temporal sequence signified in context. The difference between the two cognitive styles leads to a directional discrepancy between 前/后 and their English counterparts forward/back. This rationale clarifies the controversy over whether Chinese takes the past as its normal temporal direction. Further understanding of this issue can help reduce machine mistranslation regarding temporal direction.