以前 (yǐqián) and 以后 (yǐhòu) in Chinese grammar: before and after, past and future
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Most learners of Chinese encounter the terms 以前 and 以后 fairly early on in their studies. They’re probably the easiest way to sequence events in time in Chinese, but getting them right still takes some effort and practice. Here’s a heads-up on using these words correctly.
Before and after
With an event or action
Let’s first look at using 以前 and 以后 to talk about events happening before or after other things. The basic structure is the same for 以前 and 以后:
We’ve deliberately kept the terms simple here. The structure above is used to say that something happens after that event. The same structure can be used to talk about past or future events - it simply sequences the events in time. You can swap 以后 (after) for 以前 (before) - the structure is the same.
Have a look at some example sentences for this pattern with 以前 and 以后:
Notice how the basic structure is the same for 以前 and 以后, and how versatile this pattern is. You can put pretty any event or action in the first part, and use that to sequence the other event in relation to it.
With an amount of time
You can also use this pattern to talk about things happening before or after a specific amount of time. The structure is the same:
Again, you can swap 以后 (after) for 以前 (before). This pattern works the same way as the one above. Have a look at some examples:
很久以前，在一个很遥远的恒星系……
Notice how can fit this pattern into different parts of the sentence. We’ve avoided giving any rigid sentence structures for this pattern, as it’s usually better to focus on examples and getting lots of practice.
Amount of time before or after an event
You can also combine the two patterns described above, to talk about things happening a certain amount of time before or after an event. The structure for this is:
Have a look at some examples (we’ve included some trickier ones to keep you on your toes):
Some of the above sentences might be a little difficult at your current level, but fear not - with more practice they will become easy.
General past and future
Finally, you can use the words 以前 and 以后 to talk about the general past and future, without specifying any points in time. Have a look at some examples:
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Keep the words and sentences you meet here, and review them until you know them.