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back / behind / after

hòu
6 strokes · 口 (mouth) inside · HSK 1

Where 后 comes from

后 (also written 後) is the mirror of 前. It means behind in space and after in time. Curiously, 后 also once meant 'sovereign / queen' (皇后 = empress) — a ruler stands behind and above. Modern simplified Chinese merged both into 后.

后 in Chinese culture

后 pairs everywhere with 前: 后面 (behind), 以后 (after/later), 后天 (the day after tomorrow — with 天). 然后 (then/after that) strings events together. And 皇后 (empress) keeps the old 'sovereign' sense. If 前 is the past you can see, 后 is what comes next, at your back.

Example

以后 yǐhòu — after / later / from now on

后天他来。
Hòutiān tā lái.
He's coming the day after tomorrow.

How to remember it

The opposite of 前 — BEHIND, AFTER.

后 also means 'empress' (皇后) — a queen who stands behind the emperor. Simplified Chinese folded the old 'sovereign' character into the everyday 'behind/after' one.

Same sound, different tones

2nd hóu
throat
3rd hǒu
to roar
4th hòu
after / behind

Words unlocked by 后

以后 yǐhòu
after / later
后天 hòutiān
day after tomorrow
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