Meaning of 以后
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- after
- later
- afterwards
- following
- later on
- in the future
How to use 以后
以后 can stand alone to mean "in the future," or it can follow a time or event to mean "after that." For example: 下课以后我们去吃饭。(Xiàkè yǐhòu wǒmen qù chīfàn.) After class, we will go eat.
以 (yǐ) can mean "by way of" or "from," and 后 (hòu) means "behind" or "after." Put them together and you get "from this point on, what comes after," which is later or in the future.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 以后 with 然后 (ránhòu). 然后 links steps in a sequence ("and then"), while 以后 marks a point in time, so say 吃饭以后 (chīfàn yǐhòu), not 吃饭然后, when you mean "after eating."
以后 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.
以 yǐ · to use · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
后 hòu · back · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 以后.
| 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 |
| 可以 | kěyǐ | can; may |
| 所以 | suǒyǐ | therefore; as a result |
| 然后 | ránhòu | then; after that; afterwards |
| 以为 | yǐwéi | to think; to believe (often with the implication that the belief is mistaken – unless refe |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before; formerly |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
| 以上 | yǐshàng | that level or higher; that amount or more; the above-mentioned |
| 以外 | yǐwài | apart from; other than |
| 以下 | yǐxià | that level or lower; that amount or less |
Questions about 以后
What does 以后 mean?
以后 (yǐhòu) means "after; later" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 以后?
以后 is made of 2 characters: 以 (4 strokes), 后 (6 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 以后 an HSK word?
Yes. 以后 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 以后 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 以后 is written 以後.
What is the difference between 以后 and 后来?
以后 can refer to the past or the future, and it can follow a clause, as in 毕业以后 (bìyè yǐhòu). 后来 (hòulái) only talks about the past and stands alone, meaning "afterwards" in a story.
What is the opposite of 以后?
The opposite is 以前 (yǐqián), meaning "before" or "in the past." They work the same way, for example 三点以前 (sān diǎn yǐqián) means before three o'clock and 三点以后 means after three o'clock.