After a specific time with "yihou"

Just as 以前 (yǐqián) can be used to describe the previous events before the current situation, 以后 (yǐhòu) can be used to describe the events that follow the current situation. 以后 (yǐhòu) is similar to the English word, "after."

Structure

This grammar structure is similar to the English "after such-and-such, something happens." It's quite simple, all you have to do is put the "after" after the time words or time phrase.

[Time/Time phrase] + 以后， Subj. + Verb + Obj.

The time can be a time or date, or an action or event. It may or may not be in the future.

Examples

• 十 点 以后 ， 我 不 在 家 。 Shí diǎn yǐhòu, wǒ bù zài jiā. After ten o'clock, I will not be at home.
• 十 月 八 号 以后 ， 我 在 北京 。 Shí yuè bā hào yǐhòu, wǒ zài Běijīng. After October 8th, I am in Beijing.
• 认识 那 个 女孩 以后 ， 我们 一起 去 了 咖啡店 。 Rènshi nà gè nǚhái yǐhòu, wǒmen yīqǐ qù le kāfēidiàn. After meeting that girl, we went together to the coffee shop.
• 下班 以后 ， 我们 一起 去 喝 酒 吧? Xiàbān yǐhòu, wǒmen yīqǐ qù hē jiǔ ba?After getting off work, how about we go out for a drink?
• 喝 酒 以后 ， 我 很 高兴 。 Hē jiǔ yǐhòu, wǒ hěn gāoxìng. After drinking, I am really happy.
• 去 中国 以后 ， 她 认识 了 她 的 老公 。 Qù Zhōngguó yǐhòu, tā rènshi le tā de lǎogōng. After going to China, she met her husband.
• 这 件 事 ， 我 三 天 以后 告诉 你 。 Zhè jiàn shì, wǒ sān tiān yǐhòu gàosu nǐ. I will tell you about this matter after three days.
• 你 到 家 以后 会 看到 我 的 邮件 。 Nǐ dào jiā yǐhòu huì kàndào wǒ de yóujiàn. After you arrive home you will see my e-mail.
• 我 一 个 月 以后 开始 上班 。 Wǒ yī gè yuè yǐhòu kāishǐ shàngbān. I will start working after one month.
• 我 认识 他 以后 知道 了 很 多 事 。 Wǒ rènshi tā yǐhòu zhīdao le hěn duō shì. After I met him, I found out about a lot of things.

See also

• Before a specific time
• In the future in general
• At the time when
• Before and after with "zhiqian" and "zhihou"

Sources and further reading

• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (p. 261) →buy

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Property "Is similar to" (as page type) with input value "Before a time" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.