Definition
后来 (hòulái) means 'afterwards, later' and refers specifically to a time AFTER a past event — it cannot be used for the future. 以后 (yǐhòu) is more general and works for both past and future; 之后 (zhīhòu) is similar but often follows a specific time or event. Use 后来 when telling a story about what happened next in the past.
noun
afterwardslater
Examples
- 后来。hòu lái wǒ xuéxí Hànyǔ le.Later I started learning Chinese.
- 后来。hòu lái wǒmen jiànmiàn le.We met later.
- 后来。hòu lái wǒ cái zhīdào zhè jiàn shì.I only found out about this later.
Grammar
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