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

后... and 亲... Prefixes for “Post-” and “Friendly To”

Learn how 后 forms words like 后工业时代 (“post-industrial age”) and how 亲 forms words like 亲民 (“close to ordinary people”).

Pattern

后 + period/stage (+ 时代)；亲 + noun

As prefixes, 后 means “after / post-” a period, and 亲 means “close to, friendly to” something.

这家饭馆价格亲民，很受学生欢迎。

When to use 后... and 亲... Prefixes for “Post-” and “Friendly To”

Chinese has a few “quasi-prefixes” (类前缀): characters that keep part of their meaning but attach to many words to build new ones. 后 and 亲 are two of them at the HSK 7–9 level.

我们已经进入了后工业时代，服务业变得越来越重要。

We have entered the post-industrial age, and the service industry is becoming more and more important.

这座博物馆是一座典型的后现代建筑。

This museum is a typical postmodern building.

奥运会结束以后，这座城市进入了“后奥运时代”。

After the Olympic Games ended, the city entered the “post-Olympic era.”

新校长很亲民，经常和同学们一起吃午饭。

The new principal is very down-to-earth and often has lunch with the students.

Common traps

  • 后 as a prefix goes in front: say 后工业时代, not 工业后时代.
  • Don’t replace the prefix with 以后 or 之后: 以后工业时代 is wrong.
  • 亲民 and 亲自 are different words: 校长很亲民 (down-to-earth), 校长亲自来了 (came in person).

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

公园在河边修了一个 水平台，孩子们可以在那里看鱼

The park built a waterside platform by the river where children can watch the fish
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