后来

hòu lái

HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 3 Noun Common

Definitions

1. afterwards; later
2. newly arrived

Stop forgetting what you study.
Build recall daily.

Try HanyuGuide's Chinese review system with multiple choice, typed recall, tone-aware practice, and reviews scheduled before memory fades.

Get Yearly · $49.99 / year

Continue with Email

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Lifetime for $119.99 Try a practice session

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

起初

qǐ chū

originally

起初 means 'at first', contrasting with 后来 'later on'

Related words

2 items

然后

rán hòu

then; after that; afterwards

后来 refers to a later point in a past sequence, while 然后 is more general 'then'

以后

yǐ hòu

after

以后 can refer to future or past, 后来 is only for past

Usage notes

Common mistakes

后来 is only used for past events; do not use it for future sequences.

Grammar

Guides that feature 后来

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

2 guides

HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 7–9+ 6 min

时间顺序 for Telling Events in Time Order

Organise a story or account in time order: anchor each step with a time word, and link the steps with 起初, 后来, 接着 and 终于.

Reading: hòu lái Open guide

HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min

本来 for “Originally” and “Of Course”

Use 本来 to say what was true or planned at first before things changed, and 本来就 to say something is naturally so.

Reading: hòu lái Open guide

Example Sentences

3 shown

我们后来去了公园。

We later went to the park.

他原本是老师，后来成了作家。

He was originally a teacher and later became a writer.

我本来打算坐火车，后来改坐飞机了。

I originally planned to take the train, then switched to flying.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 后来

后来居上

hòu lái jū shàng

the pupil surpasses the master

Child Words of 后来

to come

empress

后来