之后 meaning in English
after; behind; (at the beginning of a sentence) afterwards; since then
Meaning of 之后
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- after; behind
- (at the beginning of a sentence) afterwards; since then
How to use 之后
之后 usually follows a time, event, or verb phrase to mean "after that": X之后. It can also stand alone at the start of a sentence to mean "afterwards". Example: 下课之后，我去图书馆。(Xiàkè zhīhòu, wǒ qù túshūguǎn.) After class, I go to the library.
之 (zhī) is an old linking word like "of" or "it", and 后 (hòu) means "behind" or "after". Put together, 之后 is "after it": whatever comes behind the thing just mentioned.
Common mistake: English speakers often put 之后 first, as in 之后吃饭, when they mean "after eating". The event must come before it: 吃饭之后 (chīfàn zhīhòu). Also do not confuse 之 (zhī) with 支 (zhī) or 乏 (fá), which look similar but are different characters.
之后 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
之 zhī · possessive particle · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
后 hòu · back · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 之后.
| 最后 | zuìhòu | final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end |
| 后天 | hòutiān | the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experie |
| 后边 | hòubian | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
| 然后 | ránhòu | then; after that; afterwards |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after; later |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
| 今后 | jīnhòu | hereafter; henceforth |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
| 背后 | bèihòu | behind; at the back |
| 后果 | hòuguǒ | consequences; aftermath |
| 落后 | luòhòu | to fall behind; to lag (in technology etc) |
| 前后 | qiánhòu | around; from beginning to end |
Questions about 之后
What does 之后 mean?
之后 (zhīhòu) means "after; behind; (at the beginning of a sentence) afterwards; since then" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 之后?
之后 is made of 2 characters: 之 (3 strokes), 后 (6 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 之后 an HSK word?
Yes. 之后 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 之后 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 之后 is written 之後.
What is the difference between 之后 and 以后?
Both mean "after" and are often interchangeable after an event, as in 毕业之后 or 毕业以后. 以后 can also mean "in the future" on its own, as in 以后再说 (talk about it later), while 之后 alone points back to a specific earlier event and sounds slightly more formal.
How is 之后 different from 然后 and 后来?
然后 (ránhòu) links steps in a sequence, like "and then", and does not follow a noun. 后来 (hòulái) means "later on" and is only used for past events. 之后 is more flexible because it can attach directly to an event, such as 三天之后 (three days later).