Expressing "before" and "after" with "zhiqian" and "zhihou"

Before and after can be expressed using 之前 (zhīqián) and 之后 (zhīhòu). They are in relatively the same vein as 以前/以后, except that these two are adverbs, while 之前/之后 are prepositions. Don't forget that these two are talking about before and after in terms of time.

Used as "before"

Structure

[Verb Phrase] + 之前 / 之后 ，⋯⋯

Examples

• 来 中国 之前 ，我 的 汉语 很 一般 。Lái Zhōngguó zhīqián, wǒ de Hànyǔ yībān.Before I came to China, my Chinese was so so.
• 下班 之后 给 我 打 个 电话 。Xiàbān zhīhòu gěi wǒ dǎ gè diànhuà.Give me a call after you get off work.
• 吃 完 饭 之后 去 看 电影 吧 。Chī wán fàn zhīhòu qù diànyǐng ba.Let's go to the movie after we finish dinner.
• 出国 之前 ，他 和 女朋友 分手了 。Qù Běijīng zhīqián, tā hé nǚpéngyou fēnshǒu le.Before he went abroad, he broke up with his girlfriend.
• 会议 结束 之后 ，老板 就 打车 去 机场 了 。Huìyì jiéshù zhīhòu, lǎobǎn jiù dǎchē qù jīchǎng le.After the meeting was over, the boss took a taxi to the airport.

Used with as "in the Past"

Structure

Clause 1 ，之前 / 之后 + Clause 2

Examples

• 她 当 汉语 老师 四 年 多 了 ，之前 是 教 英语 的 。Tā dāng Hànyǔ lǎoshī sì nián duō le, zhīqián shì jiāo Yīngyǔ de.She's been a Chinese teacher for more than four years. She used to be an English teacher.
• 老板 刚刚 回来 工作 ，之前 一直 在 休假 。Lǎobǎn gānggāng huílái gōngzuò, zhīqián yīzhí zài xiūjià.The boss just came back to work. He was on vocation before.
• 我们 都 不知道 ，他 之前 什么 也 没 说 。Wǒmen dōu bù zhīdào, tā zhīqián shénme yě méi shuō.None of us knows. He didn't say anything before.
• 他 在 英国 读 完 了 大学 。之后 他 就 回 上海 了 。Tā zài Yīngguó dú wán le dàxué. Zhīhòu tā jiù huí Shànghǎi le.He finished college in England. Afterwards, he returned to Shanghai.

See also

• Sequencing past events with "houlai"
• Before a specific time
• "Ever since" with "zicong"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Home With Kids2 (家有儿女2) (pp. 167)
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 93-4) →buy