Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 以来 AND 后来
The words “以来 (yǐ lái)” and “后来 (hòulái)” are two prepositions commonly used in Mandarin.
They resemble in appearance because of the same Chinese character “来”.
But they have distinctly different uses and it’s important to know them. Don’t let the same “来” word confuse you!
HOW TO USE 以来
“以来” refers to the period from a certain time to the present. It is the Chinese equivalent of the English word “since.”
We always use this phrase to modify the length of time.
PATTERN
Period of time + 以来
It is also familiar to collocate “以来” with prepositions “自” or “从.”
Modified form:
PATTERN
自/从 + period of time + 以来
这是销售量自年初以来的第一次增长。
This was the first increase in sales since the beginning of the year.View More Phrases
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 开学以来，生活忙碌了不少。 | kāi xué yǐ lái, shēng huó máng lù le bù shǎo | Life has been busy since school started. |
| 入夏以来，这个城市下了许多次雨。 | rù xià yǐ lái，zhè gè chéng shì xià le xǔ duō cì yǔ | It has rained many times in this city since the beginning of summer. |
| 长期以来，我们习惯与在家里自己做饭。 | cháng qī yǐ lái，wǒ men xí guàn yǔ zài jiā lǐ zì jǐ zuò fàn | For a long time, we are used to cooking at home. |
| 从上任以来，他一直很饱受人们爱戴。 | cóng shàng rèn yǐ lái，tā yìzhí hěn bǎo shòu rén men ài dài | He has been held in deep affection by people since his tenure. |
HOW TO USE 后来
“后来” is often used to sequence two events that have already occurred.
It is the Chinese equivalent of the English word “then; afterward.” It’s always used in the middle of a sequence of events that happened in the past, while “以来” can’t be used this way.
PATTERN
past event 1, 后来 + past event 2
But note that this structure is not entirely fixed. Instead, it is variable depending on the meanings of sentences.
我们交谈了一会，后来做了决定。
We talked for a while and then made the decision.View More Phrases
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 我们的交谈话题后来转移到了足球上。 | wǒ men de jiāo tán huà tí hòu lái zhuǎn yí dào le zú qiú shàng | The topic of our conversation then turned to football. |
| 我们曾经是邻居，后来他搬走了。 | wǒ men céng jīng shì lín jū，hòu lái tā bān zǒu le | We used to be neighbours before he moved out. |
| 他本来不想提起那件事，后来还是提了。 | tā běn lái bù xiǎng tí qǐ nà jiàn shì，hòu lái hái shì tí le | He didn’t want to mention it at first, but then he did. |
| 他很像做个话剧演员，但是后来放弃了。 | tā hěn xiàng zuò gè huà jù yǎn yuán，dàn shì hòu lái fàng qì le | He wanted to be an actor, but then gave up. |
| 我们曾经是好朋友，但后来再也没见过面了。 | wǒ men céng jīng shì hǎo péng yǒu，dàn hòu lái zài yě méi jiàn guò miàn le | We used to be good friends, but we never met again. |
| 这件事后来怎么样了？ | zhè jiàn shì hòu lái zěn me yàng le | What happened after this? |
| 他原本答应出席会议，但是后来推辞了。 | tā yuán běn dā yìng chū xí huì yì, dàn shì hòu lái tuī cí le | He had promised to attend the meeting. But later, he declined. |
| 他以前在上海工作，后来又去了杭州工作。 | tā yǐ qián zài shàng hǎi gōng zuò，hòu lái yòu qù le háng zhōu gōng zuò | He used to work in Shanghai. Afterward, he moved to Hangzhou to work. |
| 后来他们又相遇了。 | hòu lái tā men yòu xiāng yù le | Shortly afterward, they met again. |
SUMMARY
In conclusion, “以来” refers to the period from a certain time to the present, just as “since” in English; while “后来” refers to the time after something (equivalent to “later“), just as “afterward.”
Compare these sentences:
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 他们从上大学以来，一直是情侣。 | tā men cóng shàng dà xué yǐ lái，yì zhí shì qíng lǚ | They have been in love since college. |
| 他们在大学认识，后来成为了情侣。 | tā men zài dà xué rèn shi， hòu lái chéng wéi le qíng lǚ | They met in college and then fell in love. |
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 2015年以来，我一直居住在纽约。 | 2015 nián yǐ lái，wǒ yì zhí jū zhù zài niǔ yuē | I have been living in New York since 2015. |
| 2015年我来到了纽约，后来一直住在这里。 | 2015 nián wǒ lái dào le niǔ yuē，hòu lái yì zhí zhù zài zhè lǐ | I came to New York in 2015 and have lived here ever since. |
Can you tell the difference now? We may use “以来” and “后来” to express similar thoughts about time but with distinct sentence structures.
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FAQs
How are 以来 and 以后 different?
In a nutshell “以来” refers to the period from a certain time to the present, just as “since” in English.
“后来” refers to the time after something (equivalent to “later“), just as “afterward.”
What are the sentence structures with 以来?
The primary structure is:
[period of time] + 以来
It is also familiar to collocate “以来” with prepositions “自” or “从.”
Modified form:
自/从 + [period of time] + 以来
What is the sentence structure with 以后?
Basic Sentence Structure:
[Past Event 1], 后来 + [Past Event 2]
But note that this structure is not entirely fixed. Instead, it is variable depending on the meanings of sentences.
What are some examples with 以来?
入夏以来，这个城市下了许多次雨。
rù xià yǐ lái ，zhè gè chéngshì xià le xǔ duō cì yǔ
It has rained many times in this city since the beginning of summer.
长期以来，我们习惯与在家里自己做饭。
cháng qī yǐ lái ，wǒ men xíguàn yǔ zài jiā lǐ zì jǐ zuò fàn
For a long time, we are used to cooking at home.
从上任以来，他一直很饱受人们爱戴。
cóng shàng rèn yǐ lái ，tā yìzhí hěn bǎo shòu rén men ài dài
He has been held in deep affection by people since his tenure
What are some examples with 以后?
我们的交谈话题后来转移到了足球上。
wǒ men de jiāo tán huà tí hòulái zhuǎn yí dào le zú qiú shàng
The topic of our conversation then turned to football.
我们曾经是邻居，后来他搬走了。
wǒ men céng jīng shì lín jū ，hòu lái tā bān zǒu le
We used to be neighbours before he moved out.
他本来不想提起那件事，后来还是提了。
tā běn lái bù xiǎng tí qǐ nà jiànshì， hòu lái hái shì tí le
He didn’t want to mention it at first, but then he did.
Where can I find other Grammar lessons?
We have a page dedicated to Chinese Grammar lessons here >>> Chinese Grammar Bank.
On this page, you can find several Chinese grammar lessons for different levels (from A1 to B1).