Sequencing past events with "houlai"

"..., 后来..." (..., hòulái...) is used to sequence past events in the same way that "Afterward..." is in English. Something very important to note is that 后来 can only be used with two events that have already occurred.

Here's the basic structure:

Past Event #1 + 后来 + Past Event #2

Here are some examples of this pattern in action:

• 开始 他 不 同意, 但 后来 他 同意 了。
• 上 个 星期 我 的 朋友 生病 了，不过 后来 他 病 好 了。
• 她 昨天 吃 了 海鲜，后来 她 食物 中毒 了。

See also

• Before and After with "zhiqian" and "zhihou"
• Saying "Ever Since" with "yilai"
• In the future in general

Sources and further reading

Books

• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 267) →buy