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善后 (shàn hòu) — to deal with the aftermath (of a disaster, accident, or death)

Definition

善后 (shàn hòu) means to clean up after a bad event — settling affairs, payments, or arrangements left behind by an accident, disaster, or death. Often used in official, written contexts rather than everyday speech.

verb
to deal with the aftermath (of a disaster, accident, or death)

Examples

  • ，善后。
    Shì gù fā shēng hòu, zhèng fǔ lì jí pài rén shàn hòu.
    After the accident, the government immediately sent people to handle the aftermath.
  • ，。
    Tā men máng le jǐ tiān, zǒng suàn shàn hǎo le hòu.
    They worked for a few days and finally finished handling the aftermath.
  • ，善后。
    Tā qù shì hòu, jiā rén fù zé shàn hòu.
    After he passed away, his family was responsible for the funeral arrangements.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

善shànsettle
后hòuaftermath

"善" (settle) and "后" (what follows) combine to mean settling what follows.

Characters in this word

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

An earlier form of 善 joined 羊, a sheep linked with goodness or beauty, and 誩, described as a wrangle; the reference says this meaning link is hard to understand.

Open 善 →

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 →
Appears in
Change & ProcessSafety & Danger

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