后期 (hòu qī) — later stage, later period (of a process, projec…

Definition

后期 is 'later stage / later period,' typically of a process, project, or condition. Pairs with 前期 for 'later vs. earlier stage'; 晚期 leans toward terminal phases like diseases or eras.

noun

later stagelater period (of a process, project, or condition)

Examples

后期。
Zhè bù diàn yǐng de hòu qī de yù suàn xū yào chóng xīn shěn hé.
The budget for the later stage needs to be reviewed again.
后期。
Zhè zhǒng bìng hòu qī hěn nán zhì yù.
This kind of disease is very hard to cure in its later stage.
后期。
Diàn yǐng hòu qī de qíng jié yuè lái yuè jǐn zhāng.
The plot in the later period of the movie gets more and more intense.

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

期qīperiod

后 'later' and 期 'period' together mean a later stage.

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.

幺幺yāothread
夊夊suīfoot

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

日日rì

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

其qí期qī

Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

Open 期 →

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Time (Abstract)