Comparing "houlai" and "ranhou"
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Keywords
One of the most often confused words are 后来 (hòulái) and 然后 (ránhòu). They are similar on the surface, meaning something like "and then," but their usage is fairly different.
Contents
后来 is used to describe previous things
后来 is a time noun, and it can only be used on its own. It describes a certain time period in the past to the present, and it allows the speaker to described what happened in that period.
Structure
Past Event 1 ，后来 ，Past Event 2
Examples
- 1977 年 他 考上 了 大学，后来 就 没 回 过 老家。In 1977, he went to college. He didn't come back to his hometown after that.
然后 is used to describe things happens next
然后 is always used in a sequence. It is often used with 先 (xiān, meaning "first").
Structure
Action 1，然后 + Action 2
Examples
- 我们 先 去 吃饭 ， 然后 去 超市 。 I'm going to eat, then I'll go to the supermarket.
- 他 先 说 了 一 个 好 消息 ， 然后 又 说 了 一 个 坏 消息 。 First he told the good news, then he told the bad news.
Examples of right and wrong sentences
- 我们 想 先 去 美国， 后来 去 加拿大。
- 我们 想 先 去 美国， 然后 去 加拿大。
Example Dialog
- A: 我 先 去 你 家，然后 你 和 我 一起 去 见 她 ？First I'll go to your house, then you and I can go together to see her.
- B: 对。你们 几 年 没 见 了 ？Sure. How many years has it been that you haven't seen each other?
- A:两 年 前 她 出国 了， 后来 就 一直 没 见过 她 。She left the country two years ago. Since then, I haven't seen her.
Sources and further reading
Books
- 对外汉语教学语法释疑201例 (pp. 7) [ →buy]
- 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 461) [ →buy]
Dictionaries
- 现代汉语词典（第5版） (pp. 570) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy
