Introduction
以后 (yǐhòu) means "after" or "later". Like 的时候 (de shíhou), it goes at the end of the block it refers to, not the beginning: 下课以后 (xiàkè yǐhòu) — after class. English says "after class"; Chinese says "class-after".
Overview
Structure: [Time or Verb phrase] + 以后 (yǐhòu), + [Main clause]
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Time + 以后 | 三点以后 (sān diǎn yǐhòu) | after three o'clock |
| V + 以后 | 下课以后 (xiàkè yǐhòu) | after class |
| V + O + 以后 | 吃饭以后 (chī fàn yǐhòu) | after eating |
| 以后（on its own） | 以后我想去中国。(Yǐhòu wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó.) | In future I want to go to China. |
| ……以后，…… | 下班以后，我去健身房。(Xiàbān yǐhòu, wǒ qù jiànshēnfáng.) | After work I go to the gym. |
以后 (yǐhòu) comes AFTER what it refers to:
- ✓ 下课以后 (xiàkè yǐhòu) — after class.
- ❌ 以后下课 (yǐhòu xiàkè) — this reads as "later, finish class", which is not what you mean.
- Used alone at the start of a sentence, 以后 means "in the future": 以后我要学开车。(Yǐhòu wǒ yào xué kāichē.) — I'm going to learn to drive at some point.
- Its opposite, 以前 (yǐqián) — before — attaches in exactly the same position.
Examples
下课以后我去图书馆。
Xiàkè yǐhòu wǒ qù túshūguǎn.
After class I go to the library.
吃饭以后我们去散步吧。
Chī fàn yǐhòu wǒmen qù sànbù ba.
Let's go for a walk after we eat.
三点以后我有时间。
Sān diǎn yǐhòu wǒ yǒu shíjiān.
I'm free after three.
下班以后，我常常去健身房。
Xiàbān yǐhòu, wǒ chángcháng qù jiànshēnfáng.
After work I often go to the gym.
以后我想去中国工作。
Yǐhòu wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó gōngzuò.
In future I'd like to work in China.
一个星期以后我回来。
Yī gè xīngqī yǐhòu wǒ huílái.
I'll be back in a week.
Usage Notes
- The whole 以后 (yǐhòu) block sits at the front of the sentence, with the main clause after it.
- For a length of time, put the amount first: 两天以后 (liǎng tiān yǐhòu) — in two days, 一年以后 (yī nián yǐhòu) — a year later.
- 以后 on its own means "from now on / in future": 以后别这样。(Yǐhòu bié zhèyàng.) — Don't do that again.
- 后来 (hòulái) is a different word — "afterwards", used only for telling a past story: 后来他走了。(Hòulái tā zǒu le.) — Then he left. It cannot replace 以后 in a plan.
- The clause before 以后 takes no 了 (le) even when it refers to the past: 吃饭以后 (chī fàn yǐhòu), not 吃了饭以后 in this simple form.