How to Say “After” with 之后 (zhīhòu)
之后 (zhīhòu) means “after / afterwards” and is the more formal twin of 以后. After a time or event it means “after X” (开会之后 = “after the meeting”); standing alone at the front of a later clause it means “afterwards / after that” (我先去了银行，之后又去了超市). It works like 以后, only a touch more formal, but it can’t mean the open future.
Why this trips learners up
之后 (zhīhòu) is the slightly more formal way to say “after.” It is the twin of 以后, and after a time or event it means “after X,” sitting after that time/event, not in front of it. [Time / Event] + 之后: 开会之后我们一起吃午饭 (“after the meeting we had lunch together”), 结婚之后他们搬到了上海 (“after getting married they moved to Shanghai”), 两年之后 (“two years later”). English puts “after” in front of the event; Chinese puts 之后 behind it.
On its own, leading a later clause, 之后 means “afterwards / after that.” 我先去了银行，之后又去了超市 (“I went to the bank first; after that I went to the supermarket”), 公司去年换了老板，之后情况好多了 (“the company changed bosses last year; afterwards things got much better”). Here 之后 points back to the moment you just described and carries the story forward from it.
This is where 之后 and 以后 split. Standalone 以后 can mean the open future, “in the future / from now on” (以后我想当老师, “in the future I want to be a teacher”); standalone 之后 can only mean “after that,” tied to a point already mentioned. It never floats free to mean the general future. So for “from now on,” use 以后, not 之后. As a postposition after an event (开会之后 vs 开会以后), the two are interchangeable, and 之后 just sounds a little more formal thanks to the classical 之.
One extra note: like 之前, 之后 also has a physical reading, “behind,” that 以后 never takes (站在我之后 = “standing behind me”). It is less common and more formal, mostly something you meet in writing. For everyday “after [a time],” 之后 and 以后 are the same tool.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
kāihuì 开会 Verb zhīhòu 之后 Pattern wǒmen 我们 Subject yìqǐ 一起 Adverb chī 吃 Verb le 了 Function word wǔfàn 午饭 Object
After the meeting, we had lunch together (event + 之后).
jiéhūn 结婚 Verb zhīhòu 之后 Pattern tāmen 他们 Subject bāndào 搬到 Verb le 了 Function word Shànghǎi 上海 Place
After getting married, they moved to Shanghai.
liǎng nián 两年 Time zhīhòu 之后 Pattern zhège xiǎo zhèn 这个小镇 Subject wánquán 完全 Adverb biàn 变 Verb le 了 Function word
Two years later, this little town had completely changed (duration + 之后).
wǒ 我 Subject xiān 先 Adverb qù 去 Verb le 了 Function word yínháng 银行 Place zhīhòu 之后 Pattern yòu 又 Adverb qù 去 Verb le 了 Function word chāoshì 超市 Place
I went to the bank first; after that, I went to the supermarket too (standalone 之后).
xià fēijī 下飞机 Verb zhīhòu 之后 Pattern jìde 记得 Verb gěi 给 Other māma 妈妈 Object dǎ 打 Verb gè 个 Measure word diànhuà 电话 Object
After you get off the plane, remember to give your mum a call.
tāmen 他们 Subject liáo 聊 Verb le 了 Function word hěn jiǔ 很久 Complement zhīhòu 之后 Pattern jiù 就 Adverb zài yě 再也 Adverb méi 没 Negation liánxì 联系 Verb guo 过 Function word
They talked for a long time; after that, they never contacted each other again.
gōngsī 公司 Subject qùnián 去年 Time huàn 换 Verb le 了 Function word lǎobǎn 老板 Object zhīhòu 之后 Pattern qíngkuàng 情况 Subject hǎo duō le 好多了 Adjective
The company changed bosses last year; afterwards, things got much better.
tīng 听 Verb le 了 Function word yīshēng de jiànyì 医生的建议 Object zhīhòu 之后 Pattern tā 他 Subject zhōngyú 终于 Adverb juédìng 决定 Verb jièyān 戒烟 Verb le 了 Function word
After hearing the doctor’s advice, he finally decided to quit smoking.
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 之后 follows the time or event, it doesn’t lead it like English “after”: 开会之后 (“after the meeting”), not 之后开会. The event comes first, then 之后.
Why it happens: The open “in the future / from now on” is 以后: 以后我想当老师. Standalone 之后 only means “after that,” tied to a point already mentioned, so it can’t carry the general future.
Why it happens: Standalone 之后 (“after that / afterwards”) leads its clause, right after the comma: 我们吃了饭，之后去看电影, not 我们吃了饭，去看电影之后. It can’t trail at the end.
Compare & contrast
| 之后 (after / afterwards, the more formal twin) | 以后 (after / in the future, the everyday twin) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 下课之后xiàkè zhīhòu | 下课以后xiàkè yǐhòu | 下课之后 and 下课以后 both mean “after class” and are interchangeable; 之后 just reads a touch more formal. After an event, pick whichever fits the register. |
| 我先吃饭，之后去上班。wǒ xiān chīfàn, zhīhòu qù shàngbān. | 以后我想自己开公司。yǐhòu wǒ xiǎng zìjǐ kāi gōngsī. | 我先吃饭，之后去上班 (“I’ll eat first, then go to work after that”) points back to a moment just mentioned. 以后我想自己开公司 (“in the future I want to start my own company”) looks ahead to the open future, which only 以后 can do. |
Try it yourself
Say “After class, we’ll go play ball.” Put 之后 right after the event.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “After” with 之后 (zhīhòu) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.