Comparing "yihou" and "zhihou" (Redirected from ASGC3SCN) Level B2 Similar to After a specific time with "yihou" (A2) In the future in general with "yihou" (A2) Expressing "before" and "after" with "zhiqian" and "zhihou" (B1) Used for Expressing time and date, Sequencing events in time, Referring to the past Keywords 以后, 之后 Translations later, after, afterwards This article is a stub. Editors can help the Chinese Grammar Wiki by expanding it. If you are trying to explain what you did after a certain event, you might want to use "以后" (yǐhòu) or "之后" (zhīhòu). After all, they do both mean "after," right? Well, it turns out that there are a few rules that you need to be aware of before you use them. Contents 1 Similarity 1.1 Structure 1.2 Examples 2 Differences 2.1 以后 2.1.1 Structure 2.1.2 Examples 2.2 之后 2.2.1 Structure 2.2.2 Examples 3 Right or Wrong 3.1 Examples 4 See Also 5 Sources and Further Reading 5.1 Books Similarity Both indicates another event happened after a special time. these two words share a structure, so it is easy to see how they would be easily confused. Here's the structure: Structure Subj. + Special Time + 以后／之后 + Verb In situations where you have already done something and then after that you did something else, you can use "以后." The stipulation with this is that the time has to be explicitly said. That is, there has to be a time for "以后" to modify. Otherwise the sentence won't make sense. Examples 下过雨以后/ 之后空气会好很多。 Xià guo yǔ yǐhòu / zhīhòu kōngqì huì hǎo hěn duō. After it rains, the air will be a lot better. 结婚以后/ 之后他们有了两个宝宝。 Jiéhūn yǐhòu / zhīhòu tāmen yǒu le liǎng gè bǎobǎo. After getting married, they had two babies. 等我涨工资以后/ 之后请你吃饭。 Děng wǒ zhǎng gōngzī yǐhòu / zhīhòu qǐng nǐ chīfàn. After I get a raise, I will treat you to a meal. 听到这个消息以后/ 之后，我高兴得一晚上没睡。 Tīngdào zhè gè xiāoxi yǐhòu / zhīhòu, wǒ gāoxìng de yī wǎn shàng méi shuì. After I heard this news, I was so happy I couldn't sleep the whole night. Differences Now you might be thinking, "But 以后 means afterwards, why doesn't that work?" In this case, "以后" is just used to talk about the future in general. The meaning that you're probably thinking of comes from the first structure above. 以后 Structure 以后，⋯⋯ Examples 以后再也不来这里吃饭了，又贵又难吃。 Yǐhòu zài yě bù lái zhèlǐ chīfàn le, yòu guì yòu nánchī. In the future I will never come to this place to eat again. It's expensive and the food is not good. 以后我可能会去国外上大学。 Yǐhòu wǒ kěnéng huì qù guówài shàng dàxué. In the future I might go to college abroad. 以后的事情以后再说吧。 Yǐhòu de shìqing yǐhòu zài shuō bā. We'll talk about future things some time later. 之后 Compared to 以后, 之后 is a little more free. Not only can it happen in the same place, modifying the time, but it can also appear just on its own, meaning something along the lines of "then." While 以后 is dependent on the time, 之后 can stand by itself. Structure Event 1 ，之后 + Event 2 Examples 我要先回家把东西放下，之后去咖啡店找你。 Wǒ yào xiān huí jiā bǎ dōngxi fàng xià, zhīhòu qù kāfēidiàn zhǎo nǐ. I'm going to go home and drop my stuff off first, then go to the cafe to look for you. 去年夏天他来过我家，之后再也没见过他。 Qùnián xiàtiān tā lái guò wǒ jiā, zhīhòu zài yě méi jiàn guo tā. Last summer, he came to my house. After that, I haven't seen him. Right or Wrong Examples 我六点下班，以后，我去跟朋友吃饭。Since there is nothing that "以后" modifies, this sentence doesn't work. 我六点下班，之后，我去跟朋友吃饭。"之后" works in this sentence. Wǒ liù diǎn xiàbān, zhīhòu, wǒ qù gēn péngyou chīfàn. I will get off work at six o'clock, and after that I will meet with a friend to eat dinner. 昨天我跟朋友吃完饭以后去了酒吧。 Zuótiān wǒ gēn péngyou chī wán fàn yǐhòu qù le jiǔbā. Yesterday, when my friends and I were done eating, we went to the bar. 昨天我跟朋友去吃饭了，以后，我们去酒吧。Again, since there is nothing for "以后" to modify, it's a bad sentence. 昨天我跟朋友去吃饭了，之后，我们去了酒吧。 Zuótiān wǒ gēn péngyou qù chīfàn le, zhīhòu, wǒmen qù le jiǔbā. "之后" works in this sentence. Yesterday I ate dinner with a friend, and afterward we went to a bar. See Also After a specific time In the future in general Before and after with "zhiqian" and "zhihou" Comparing "yihou" and "houlai" Sources and Further Reading Books