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.
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 + Action
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
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
There is another structure that only works with "之后":
Subj. + Event， 之后 + Action
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 到 他 。 Qùnián xiàtiān tā lái guò wǒ jiā, zhīhòu zài yě
méi jiàn dào tā.Last summer, he came to
my house. After that, I haven't seen him.
- 房子 涨价 之后 ， 越 来 越 多 的 人 开始 买 房 。 Fángzi zhǎngjià zhīhòu, Yuè lái Yuè duō de rén
kāishǐ mǎi Fáng.After prices went up,
more and more people started buying houses.
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
Sources and Further
Reading
NEEDS SOURCES
Category:grammar comparison