后来後來 hòulái — afterwards, later on (in the past)
hòulái (fourth tone, falling)hou4lai2
Traditional: 後來
afterwards, later on (in the past)
HSK 3· HSK 1–4 (classic)nounadverb
Meanings
afterwards, later on (in the past)
What happened next in a story that is already over. It belongs to the past only: for something still to come, Chinese uses 以后.
noun
Example sentences
- 他先去了北京，后来又去了上海。他先去了北京，後來又去了上海。Tā (first tone, high and level) xiān (first tone, high and level) qùle (fourth tone, falling) Běijīng, (third tone, dipping) hòulái (fourth tone, falling) yòu (fourth tone, falling) qùle (fourth tone, falling) Shànghǎi. (fourth tone, falling)···
He went to Beijing first, and afterwards to Shanghai as well.
- 后来我们就没有见过面。後來我們就沒有見過面。Hòulái (fourth tone, falling) wǒmen (third tone, dipping) jiù (fourth tone, falling) méiyǒu (second tone, rising) jiànguo (fourth tone, falling) miàn. (fourth tone, falling)···
After that we never met again.
Common mistakes
Not quite后来我要去中国。
Correct以后我要去中国。
后来 narrates the past: it says what came next in something already finished. A future "later" is 以后.