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  3. Expressing "before" and "after" with 之前 "zhi1qian2" and 之后 ("zhi1hou4")

Expressing "before" and "after" with 之前 "zhi1qian2" and 之后 ("zhi1hou4")

之前 zhīqián

Grammar
HSK 3

Structure

Event + 之前 / 之后 ，⋯⋯ ⋯⋯ ，之前 / 之后 ⋯⋯

Translations

  • before
  • after

Definition

之前表示在某个时间或事件之前；之后表示在某个时间或事件之后。

之前 (zhīqián) means before a certain time or event; 之后 (zhīhòu) means after a certain time or event.

Usage

这两个词通常放在名词、代词、动词短语或句子之后，表示时间顺序。例如：开会之前（before the meeting），下课之后（after class）。

These two words are typically placed after a noun, pronoun, verb phrase, or clause to indicate temporal sequence. For example: 开会之前 (before the meeting), 下课之后 (after class).

Examples

  • 1 吃饭之前要洗手。 (Wash your hands before eating.)
  • 2 下班之后我去健身房。 (I go to the gym after work.)
  • 3 考试之前，他复习了所有内容。 (Before the exam, he reviewed everything.)
  • 4 他们结婚之后搬到了上海。 (After they got married, they moved to Shanghai.)
  • 5 睡觉之前不要玩手机。 (Don't play with your phone before sleeping.)

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