后天 meaning in English
the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experiences, contrasted with 先天[xian1 tian1])
Meaning of 后天
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- the day after tomorrow
- life after birth (the period in which one develops through experiences, contrasted with 先天[xian1 tian1])
- acquired (not innate or congenital)
- a posteriori
How to use 后天
In daily speech 后天 almost always means the day after tomorrow, and it usually goes before the verb or at the start of the sentence. The meaning "acquired, not innate" shows up in more formal talk, often contrasted with 先天 (xiāntiān). Example: 我们后天去北京。(Wǒmen hòutiān qù Běijīng.) We are going to Beijing the day after tomorrow.
后 (hòu) means after or behind, and 天 (tiān) means day. The day that comes after tomorrow is 后天 (hòutiān), the day after tomorrow.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 后天 (the day after tomorrow) with 明天 (míngtiān, tomorrow), or put it at the end of the sentence like English. Say 我后天来 (wǒ hòutiān lái), not 我来后天.
后天 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.
后 hòu · back · 6 strokes
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- 2
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天 tiān · day · 4 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 后天.
| 今天 | jīntiān | today; the present time; now |
| 最后 | zuìhòu | final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 白天 | báitiān | daytime; during the day |
| 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday |
| 半天 | bàntiān | half of the day; a long time |
| 前天 | qiántiān | the day before yesterday |
| 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 |
Questions about 后天
What does 后天 mean?
后天 (hòutiān) means "the day after tomorrow; life after birth (the period in which one develops through experiences, contrasted with 先天[xian1 tian1])" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 后天?
后天 is made of 2 characters: 后 (6 strokes), 天 (4 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 后天 an HSK word?
Yes. 后天 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 后天 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 后天 is written 後天.
How do you say the day before yesterday in Chinese?
Use 前天 (qiántiān). 前 means before, so it pairs with 后天. The sequence runs 前天, 昨天, 今天, 明天, 后天.
What does 后天 mean when it is not about days?
It can mean acquired through experience after birth, as in 后天的努力 (hòutiān de nǔlì), effort you put in yourself. It is the opposite of 先天 (xiāntiān), meaning innate or inborn.