Chinese word

后

Pronunciation

Pinyinhòu

Meaning

  • nounafter

Example

我走后，请锁门。wǒ zǒu hòu qǐng suǒ mén

Please lock the door after I leave.

Illustration for 后 (after)

More examples

孩子站在妈妈后面。hái zi zhàn zài mā mā hòu miàn

The child is standing behind the mother.

Core concept

What is behind or comes later, with a separate royal use for an emperor's wife.

Common phrases

  • 后面hòu miàn

    back

  • 在后面zài hòu miàn

    behind

Similar words

以后yǐ hòu: The time after a stated event or point, continuing from then onward.
之后zhī hòu: The time after a particular event or point used as a reference.
后面hòu miàn: The place or part located behind something.

Definition in Chinese

表示时间上的以后，指某一时点或事件之后的时段或随后发生的情况。biǎo shì shí jiān shàng de yǐ hòu zhǐ mǒu yì shí diǎn huò shì jiàn zhī hòu de shí duàn huò suí hòu fā shēng de qíng kuàng

Word origin

The older character 後 (hòu, "behind or after") was simplified to 后 (hòu, "after"), which has the same shape as the older character 后 used for an empress.

Usage tips

  • Chinese can put this word after a whole event, so "I leave + after" means "after I leave," unlike the usual English order.

Other meanings

  • backnoun
  • empressnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word