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Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 之前 & 之后
If you want to talk about the past or the future in terms of before and after, you might want to us 之前 (zhīqián) and 之后 (zhīhòu).
They are two formal ways to say before and after; and they have a few other meanings attached to them.
They are similar to 以前 (yǐqián) and 以后 (yǐhòu) which are less formal.
HOW TO USE 之前 & 之后 TO EXPRESS BEFORE AND AFTER
之前 (zhīqián) and 之后 (zhīhòu) are used after something that has happened to say “before/ago” or “after”, respectively.
Both can be used for an event or a time.
PATTERN
Event/Time + 之前/之后
HOW TO USE 之前 & 之后 AS TIME WORDS
When 之前 and 之后 function as time words, they come at the beginning of a clause.
- Here 之后 can mean “afterwards”, “after that” or “later”.
- Here 之前 can mean “before” or “earlier”.
The subject in the second clause can go before or after 之前/之后.
PATTERN
(Event 1), 之前/之后 + Event 2
EXPRESSING “AFTER” – 之后 vs 以后
之后 and 以后 can before mean “after” but are not always interchangeable. Let’s look at their similarities and differences and understand them better.
Similarities
Both 之后 and 以后 can be used after specified time to show that another event happened after the time mentioned.
PATTERN
Event 1 + 之前/之后, …
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 吃饭之后/以后, 你应该洗手。 | chīfàn zhīhòu/yǐhòu, nǐ yīnggāi xǐshǒu. | You should wash your hands after eating. |
| 结婚以后/之后, 她不要工作。 | jiéhūn yǐhòu/zhīhòu, tā bùyào gōngzuò. | She doesn’t want to work after getting married. |
| 五分钟之后/以后, 他就走了。 | wǔ fēnzhōng zhīhòu/yǐhòu, tā jiù zǒule | He left after five minutes. |
| 工作以后/之后, 我回家。 | gōngzuò yǐhòu/zhīhòu, wǒ huí jiā. | I go home after work. |
Differences
以后 on its own means “in the future” and can be used at the beginning of a sentence for this meaning. It can’t be used in the second clause to mean this.
PATTERN
以后 …
之后 on its own means “after that” or “later”. 之后 can be used in the second clause to mean “after”. It can also come at the beginning of a sentence.
PATTERN
(Event 1), 之后 Event (2)
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FAQs
What is the sentence structure for 之前?
– 之前 can be used after an event to say “before this”
Event + 之前，。。。
– 之前 can be used in the second clause to mean “before” or “earlier”. It can also be at the beginning of a sentence to mean “before”, or “before that”.
Event 1, 之前 + Event 2
之前 + Event
What is the sentence structure for 之后?
– 之后 can be used after an event to say “after this”
Event + 之后，。。。
– 之后 can be used in the second clause to mean “before” or “earlier”. It can also be at the beginning of a sentence to mean “after” or “after that”.
Event 1, 之后 + Event 2
What are some example sentences with 之前？
– 学汉语之前，我觉得汉语很难。
xué hànyǔ zhīqián, wǒ juédé hànyǔ hěn nán.
Before learning Chinese, I thought Chinese was very difficult.
– 之前他已经告诉我。
zhīqián tā yǐjīng gàosù wǒ.
He already told me before.
– 七点之前要回家。
qī diǎn zhīqián yào huí jiā.
I want to go home before seven o’clock. / Be home by seven o’clock.
What are some example sentences with 之后？
– 进来之后，请关门。
jìnlái zhīhòu, qǐng guānmén.
Please close the door after you enter.
– 三天以前我们吵架了。之后我没跟她说过话。
sān tiān yǐqián wǒmen chǎojiàle. Zhīhòu wǒ méi gēn tā shuō guòhuà.
We had an argument three days ago. I haven’t spoken to her since then.
– 现在我跟她吃饭，之后我跟你看电影。
xiànzài wǒ gēn tā chīfàn, zhīhòu wǒ gēn nǐ kàn diànyǐng.
I’ll have dinner with her now and then I’ll watch a movie with you.
How are 之前 and 之后 pronounced?
之前 is pronounced zhīqián.
之后 is pronounced zhīhòu.
Where can I find more grammar lessons?
There are more Chinese grammar lessons like this one in our Chinese Grammar Bank.
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