How to Say “Afterwards” with 后来 (hòulái)
后来 (hòulái) means “afterwards / later on” and sequences two PAST events that have already happened: 他一开始很紧张，后来慢慢放松了 (“at first he was nervous; later he gradually relaxed”). It leads the second event after a comma. Both events must be in the past, so 后来 can never order a plan or a future step (that’s 然后).
Why this trips learners up
后来 (hòulái) is how you say “afterwards / later on” when telling a story about the past. You set up one thing that happened, then 后来 introduces what happened next: [Past Event 1] ，后来 ，[Past Event 2]. 我们以前住在乡下，后来搬到了城里 (“we used to live in the countryside; later we moved to the city”), 他一开始很紧张，后来慢慢放松了 (“he was nervous at first; later he gradually relaxed”). It very often looks back from an earlier state flagged by 以前, 一开始, 本来 or 小时候.
The rule you must not break: 后来 only works for events that have already happened. Both clauses are real, finished past. So you can narrate “later, as it turned out…” but you can never use 后来 to lay out a plan or a sequence of steps that hasn’t happened yet. 我明天先去银行，然后去公司 (“tomorrow I’ll go to the bank first, then to the office”) needs 然后, not 后来, because it is about the future.
That is the heart of the 后来 vs 然后 split. 然后 (“and then / next”) is the all-purpose sequencer: it orders plans, recipes, instructions and future steps, as well as the past. 后来 is narrower and looking-back only: it is the “and later on, as the story went…” of real past events. If two things already happened and you’re recounting them, 后来; if you’re listing steps or anything not-yet-happened, 然后.
One more thing: 后来 is a standalone adverb, “later on,” not a postposition. Unlike 以后, it does not attach to an event. You can say 吃饭以后 (“after eating”), but never 吃饭后来; 后来 simply leads its own clause after a comma. And it is not 以后’s job either: 以后 can point to the future (“from now on”), where 后来 only ever looks back.
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.
wǒmen 我们 Subject yǐqián 以前 Time zhù zài xiāngxià 住在乡下 Verb hòulái 后来 Pattern bāndào 搬到 Verb le 了 Function word chénglǐ 城里 Place
We used to live in the countryside; later we moved to the city (以前 … 后来 …).
tā 他 Subject yì kāishǐ 一开始 Time hěn jǐnzhāng 很紧张 Adjective hòulái 后来 Pattern mànmàn 慢慢 Adverb fàngsōng 放松 Verb le 了 Function word
He was nervous at first; later he gradually relaxed (一开始 … 后来 …).
wǒ 我 Subject gěi tā 给他 Other fā 发 Verb le 了 Function word xiāoxi 消息 Object hòulái 后来 Pattern tā 他 Subject yìzhí 一直 Adverb méi 没 Negation huí 回 Verb
I sent him a message; afterwards he never replied.
zhè jiā diàn 这家店 Subject gāng kāi shí 刚开时 Time shēngyi hěn hǎo 生意很好 Adjective hòulái 后来 Pattern mànmàn 慢慢 Adverb méi rén lái 没人来 Verb le 了 Function word
When this shop first opened, business was good; later, fewer and fewer people came.
tāmen 他们 Subject běnlái 本来 Adverb yuē hǎo le jiànmiàn 约好了见面 Verb hòulái 后来 Pattern yīnwèi xià yǔ 因为下雨 Other qǔxiāo 取消 Verb le 了 Function word
They’d arranged to meet, but later cancelled because of the rain (本来 … 后来 …).
wǒ 我 Subject xiǎoshíhou 小时候 Time hěn pà gǒu 很怕狗 Adjective hòulái 后来 Pattern yǎng 养 Verb le 了 Function word yì zhī 一只 Measure word jiù 就 Adverb bú pà le 不怕了 Verb
As a child I was afraid of dogs; later I got one, and stopped being scared.
zhège xiāoxi 这个消息 Subject yì kāishǐ 一开始 Time méi rén xiāngxìn 没人相信 Verb hòulái 后来 Pattern cái 才 Adverb fāxiàn 发现 Verb shì zhēn de 是真的 Verb
At first no one believed the news; only later did people find it was true.
nà wèi gēshǒu 那位歌手 Subject niánqīng shí 年轻时 Time bú tài yǒumíng 不太有名 Adjective hòulái 后来 Pattern píng yì shǒu gē 凭一首歌 Other huǒ le qǐlái 火了起来 Verb
That singer wasn’t very famous when young; later she shot to fame on one song.
Common mistakes
Why it happens: 后来 only narrates events that have already happened. A future plan or a sequence of steps takes 然后 (“and then”): 我明天先去银行，然后去公司, not …后来去公司. 后来 can’t point forward.
Why it happens: 后来 is a standalone “later on,” not a postposition: it doesn’t attach to an event the way 以后 does. For “after [eating],” use 以后 (吃饭以后); 后来 leads its own clause: …，后来…
Why it happens: 后来 leads the second past event, right after the comma. It can’t trail at the end: 后来和好了, not 和好了后来.
Compare & contrast
| 后来 (past only, “afterwards, as it turned out”) | 然后 (any sequence, “and then / next”) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 我们聊了很久，后来就睡了。wǒmen liáo le hěn jiǔ, hòulái jiù shuì le. | 你先休息，然后我们出发。nǐ xiān xiūxi, ránhòu wǒmen chūfā. | 我们聊了很久，后来就睡了 narrates two things that already happened, “later” looking back. 你先休息，然后我们出发 sequences a plan that hasn’t happened yet, “and then,” which 后来 could never do. |
| 他本来不想去，后来还是去了。tā běnlái bù xiǎng qù, hòulái háishì qù le. | 先付钱，然后取货。xiān fù qián, ránhòu qǔ huò. | 他本来不想去，后来还是去了 is past narration (“in the end he went anyway”). 先付钱，然后取货 is an instruction, “first… then…,” the job of 然后, not 后来. |
Try it yourself
Say “We got lost; later we found the way.” Lead the second past event with 后来.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Afterwards” with 后来 (hòulái) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.