How to say “later” in Chinese with 后来 (hòulái)

Event 1 (hòulái) Event 2

Sequencing past events with "后来 (hòulái)"

HSK 3Nouns

Rule structure

后来 (hòulái) means "afterwards" or "later" and is used to narrate what happened next in a past sequence of events.

Examples

他开始学中文,后来去了中国。

Tā kāishǐ xué Zhōngwén, hòulái qù le Zhōngguó.

He started learning Chinese, and later went to China.

Practice

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Frequently asked questions

How do you express “Sequencing past events with "后来 (hòulái)"” in Chinese?

Use the structure: Event 1,后来 (hòulái) Event 2. For example: 他开始学中文,后来去了中国。 — “He started learning Chinese, and later went to China.”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

他开始学中文,后来去了中国。 — “He started learning Chinese, and later went to China.”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.

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