HSK 1
DURATION 后
DURATION hòu
after DURATION
Structure
Time Duration + 后 (hòu)
How it works
The word 后 (hòu) is placed after a specific duration of time to indicate that an event will happen after that time has passed. It is commonly used to talk about future plans or the ending of a period. In this context, it functions similarly to 'in' or 'after' in English.
Examples
十分钟后见。
Shí fēnzhōng hòu jiàn.
See you in ten minutes.
他两天后回来。
Tā liǎng tiān hòu huílái.
He will come back after two days.
一个小时后吃午饭。
Yīgè xiǎoshí hòu chī wǔfàn.
Eat lunch after one hour.
Common mistakes
English speakers often place 'after' before the time (e.g., saying '后十分钟'), but in Chinese, the time duration must always come first.
Tip
Think of 后 as a 'post-fix' for time. If you want to say 'after [Time Point]', you can also add '之' (zhī) to make it '之后' (zhīhòu) for a more formal tone, though '后' is sufficient for HSK 1.
More HSK 1 grammar
See DURATION 后 in real Chinese
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