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<h1>Expressing "before" and "after" with "zhiqian" and "zhihou"
</h1>


<p>The words "before" and "after" can be expressed using 之前 (zhīqián) and 之后 (zhīhòu). They are very similar to 以前 (yǐqián) and 以后 (yǐhòu). Don't forget that these two are talking about before and after in terms of time.</p>

<h2>Contents</h2>

  
<div class="contents"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1 Used at the End of a Phrase </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">1.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2 Used as a Time Word </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.1 Structure </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">2.2 Examples </span></li>
</ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">3 Slight Differences between 之前/之后 and 以前/以后 </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">4 See also </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">5 Sources and further reading </span></li>
<ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">5.1 Books</span></li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<h2>Used at the End of a Phrase</h2>

<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">Event + 之前 / 之后 ，⋯⋯</div>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">来 中国 之前 ，我 的 汉语 很 一般 。
Lái Zhōngguó zhīqián, wǒ de Hànyǔ hěn yībān.
Before I came to China, my Chinese was really mediocre. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">下班 之后 给 我 打 个 电话 。
Xiàbān zhīhòu gěi wǒ dǎ gè diànhuà.
Give me a call after you get off work. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">吃 完 饭 之后 去 看 电影 吧 ？
Chī wán fàn zhīhòu qù kàn diànyǐng ba?
What about going to the movies after eating dinner? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">出国 之前 ，他 和 女朋友 分手了 。
Chūguó zhīqián, tā hé nǚpéngyou fēnshǒu le.
Before he went abroad, he broke up with his girlfriend. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">她 每天 放学 之后 都 要 去 上 钢琴 课 。
Tā měi tiān fàngxué zhīhòu dōu yào qù shàng gāngqín kè.
She needs to go to piano class every day after school.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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<h2>Used as a Time Word</h2>

<h3>Structure</h3>

<div class="deux">⋯⋯ ，之前 / 之后 ⋯⋯
</div>
<h3>Examples</h3>

<div class="exemple"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">他 在 英国 读 完 了 大学 ，之后 回 上海 了 。
Tā zài Yīngguó dú wán le dàxué, zhīhòu huí Shànghǎi le.
He finished university in England. Afterwards, he returned to Shanghai. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">她 当 汉语 老师 四 年 多 了 ，之前 是 教 英语 的 。
Tā dāng Hànyǔ lǎoshī sì nián duō le, zhīqián shì jiāo Yīngyǔ de.
She's been a Chinese teacher for more than four years. She used to be an English teacher. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">老板 刚刚 回来 工作 ，之前 在 休假 。
Lǎobǎn gānggāng huílái gōngzuò, zhīqián zài xiūjià.
The boss just came back to work. He was on vacation before. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我们 都 不 知道 ，他 之前 什么 也 没 说 。
Wǒmen dōu bù zhīdào, tā zhīqián shénme yě méi shuō.
None of us knew. He didn't say anything before. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">我 现在 去 吃饭 ，之后 去 见 客户 。
Wǒ xiànzài qù chīfàn, zhīhòu qù jiàn kèhù.
I'm going to eat now. After that I will go meet a client.</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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<h3>Slight Differences between 之前/之后 and 以前/以后</h3>

<p>One difference between the two pairs is that 之前/之后 feel more formal simply because they contain 之, which is a word common in classical Chinese. Both words are still used in everyday spoken Chinese, however.</p>

<p>In addition, while all four words can mean "before and "after" (referring to time), 之前/之后 also sometimes mean "in front of" or "behind" (referring to space). We haven't included examples of that usage here, because it's less common and more formal.</p>

<h3>See also</h3>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Sequencing past events with "houlai" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Before a specific time </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">"Ever since" with "zicong"</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>

<h3>Sources and further reading
</h3>
<h4>Books</h4>

<div class="See-also"><ul><li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Home With Kids2 (家有儿女2) (pp. 167) →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide →buy </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 20px;">Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 93-4) →buy</span><br/></li>
</ul>
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