后来 hòulái afterwards
afterwards; after; later
How to remember 后来: 后 back + 来 come = afterwards.
Characters
How it is used
- "Afterwards, later on" in narrating past events - 后来呢？(hòulái ne) and then what?; 后来他走了 (hòulái tā zǒu le) later he left.
- Trap: only for the past, telling what happened next. For future "later" use 以后 (yǐhòu) - 以后再说 talk about it later, never 后来再说.
- Marks a turn in a story's sequence, not a clock time.
Example sentences
- 后来事情怎么样？ Hòulái shìqing zěnme yàng?How did things turn out later?
- 我本来想走的，但后来忘了。 Wǒ běnlái xiǎng zǒu de, dàn hòulái wàng le.I intended to go, but forgot to.
- 他后来写信给总统。 Tā hòulái xiěxìngěi zǒngtǒng.Later he wrote to the president.