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后年 (hòu nián) — the year after next

Definition

后年 means 'the year after next' — one year further than 明年 ('next year'). Like 去年, 今年, and 前年, it's used as a standalone time noun.

noun
the year after next

Examples

  • 后年。
    Wǒ hòu nián dà xué bì yè.
    I will graduate from university the year after next.
  • 后年。
    Tā men hòu nián qù rì běn lǚ xíng.
    They will travel to Japan the year after next.
  • 后年。
    Wǒ hòu nián jiù èr shí suì le.
    I will be twenty years old the year after next.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

后hòulater
年niányear

后 'later' and 年 'year' together mean the year that comes later.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
禾禾héwheat; grain
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén年nián
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

年 pairs 禾 (grain) with 人, which gives the sound. Its original meaning was harvest, and it later came to mean a year.

Open 年 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 3

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