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过后 (guò hòu) — afterwards, later (after an event or action)

Definition

过后 means 'after an event,' referring to what happens AFTER a specific, completed event. Use 以后 for a looser 'later/in the future' and 事后 for hindsight/judgment about a past event.

noun
afterwardslater (after an event or action)

Examples

  • 过后，。
    Huì yì guò hòu, tā cái gào sù wǒ zhēn xiàng.
    After the meeting, he finally told me the truth.
  • 过后，过后，。
    Kǎo shì guò hòu, yǔ guò hòu, kōng qì tè bié qīng xīn.
    After the rain, the air is especially fresh.
  • 过后，。
    Kǎo shì guò hòu, tā qīng sōng le bù shǎo.
    After the exam, he felt much more relaxed.

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.

过guòpass
后hòuafter

过 names the passing, and 后 the time after it.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 過; 过 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
咼
咼wāi過guò
Same sound today

The traditional form 過 pairs 辵 (walk) with 咼 as a sound component; the simplified 过 is a shorthand, and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 过 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 6Time (Abstract)

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