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<p>One of the most often confused words are <span class="hanzi">后来</span> (<span class="pinyin">hòulái</span>) and <span class="hanzi">然后</span> (<span class="pinyin">ránhòu</span>). They are similar on the surface, meaning something like "<b>and then</b>," but their usage is fairly different.</p>
<h2 id="后来-is-used-to-describe-previous-things"><span class="hanzist">后来</span> is used to describe previous things</h2>
<p><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">后来</span> is a time noun, and it can only be used on its own. It describes a certain time period in the past to the present, and it allows the speaker to described what happened in that period.</p>
<h2>Contents</h2>
<ol>
<li>Structure<br/></li>
<li>Examples<br/></li>
<li>See also<br/></li>
<li>Sources and further reading<br/></li>
<ol>
<li>Books<br/></li>
</ol>
</ol>
<h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>
<div>
<div class="deux">
Part A<span class="hanzist">，后来，</span> Part B
</div>
</div>
<h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span><span class="hanzi">1977 年 他 考上 了 大学，后来 就 没 回 过 老家。</span>In 1977, he went to college. He didn't come back to his hometown after that.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="然后-is-used-to-describe-things-happens-next"><span class="hanzist">然后</span> is used to describe things happens next</h2>
<p><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">然后</span> is always used in a sequence. It is often used with <a href="Sequencing_with_"xian"_and_"zai"" title="wikilink">先 (xiān, meaning "first")</a>.</p>
<h3 id="structure-1">Structure</h3>
<div>
<div class="deux">
Action 1<span class="hanzist">，然后</span> + Action 2
</div>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">我们 先 去 吃饭 ， 然后 去 超市 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen xiān qù chīfàn, ránhòu qù chāoshì.</span><br/><span>I'm going to eat, then I'll go to the supermarket.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">他 先 说 了 一 个 好 消息 ， 然后 又 说 了 一 个 坏 消息 。</span> <span class="pinyin">Tā xiān shuō le yī gè hǎo xiāoxi, ránhòu yòu shuō le yī gè huài xiāoxi.</span><br/><span>First he told the good news, then he told the bad news.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="examples-of-right-and-wrong-sentences">Examples of right and wrong sentences</h2>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">我们 想 先 去 美国， 后来 去 加拿大。</span><br/></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">我们 想 先 去 美国， 然后 去 加拿大。</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="example-dialog">Example dialog</h2>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li>A: <span><span class="hanzi">我 先 去 你 家，然后 你 和 我 一起 去 见 她？</span> First I'll go to your house, then you and I can go together to see her.</span></li>
<li>B: <span><span class="hanzi">对。你们 几 年 没 见 了？</span> Sure. How many years has it been that you haven't seen each other?</span></li>
<li>A: <span><span class="hanzi">两 年 前 她 出国 了， 后来 就 一直 没 见过 她。</span> She left the country two years ago. Since then, I haven't seen her.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">对外汉语教学语法释疑201例</span> (p.7)</li>
<li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语八百词（增订本）</span> (<span class="hanzi">然后</span> pp. 461)</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="dictionaries">Dictionaries</h3>
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语词典（第5版）</span> (<span class="hanzi">后来</span> pp. 570)</li>
</ul>
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