Meaning of 然后
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- then; after that; afterwards
How to use 然后
然后 links actions in order, usually at the start of the second clause, and is often paired with 先 (xiān) "first." Example: 我先吃饭，然后去学校。(Wǒ xiān chīfàn, ránhòu qù xuéxiào.) I eat first, then go to school. In casual speech, people also use 然后 as a filler while telling a story.
Think of 然 (rán) as "so, like this" and 后 (hòu) as "after": 然后 means "after this, then." You already know 后 from 以后 (yǐhòu) and 最后 (zuìhòu), so 然后 is the "after that" step in a sequence.
Common mistake: Learners often swap 然后 and 后来 (hòulái). 后来 only describes past events ("later on"), while 然后 works for past, present, or future steps, so say 明天我先去银行，然后去超市, not 后来去超市.
然后 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.
然 rán · certainly · 12 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
后 hòu · back · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 然后.
| 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 |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after; later |
| 虽然 | suīrán | although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是[ke3 shi4] or 但是[dan4 shi4] etc) |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later; newly arrived |
| 今后 | jīnhòu | hereafter; henceforth |
| 大自然 | dàzìrán | nature (the natural world) |
| 忽然 | hūrán | suddenly; all of a sudden |
| 当然 | dāngrán | only natural; as it should be |
| 突然 | tūrán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
Questions about 然后
What does 然后 mean?
然后 (ránhòu) means "then; after that; afterwards" and is used as a conjunction.
How do you write 然后?
然后 is made of 2 characters: 然 (12 strokes), 后 (6 strokes). That is 18 strokes in total.
Is 然后 an HSK word?
Yes. 然后 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 然后 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 然后 is written 然後.
What is the difference between 然后 and 以后?
然后 is a conjunction that starts the next step: 先做作业，然后看电视. 以后 usually follows a time or an action, as in 吃饭以后 (after eating), or stands alone to mean "in the future."
Why do Chinese speakers say 然后 so often in conversation?
In spoken Chinese, 然后 often works like English "and then" or "so" to keep a story moving or to buy time. It is natural in chat, but in careful writing you should use it only when there is a real sequence.