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然后

rán hòu

then

Usage note

然后这个词用来表示事情发生的顺序,通常放在句子中间或句尾。

rán hòu zhè gè cí yòng lái bǎo shù shì qing fā shēng de xún jǐn , tōng cháng zài jù zi zhōng jiān huò jù wǔ.

The word 然后 is used to indicate the sequence of events, usually placed in the middle or at the end of a sentence.

Context note

然后常见于描述日常生活的场景,如做饭、学习等。

rán hòu jìng cháng yú miáo huì rì kāi shēn qíng de jiàng chéng , rú fàn zuò 、 xué xí nǎng .

然后 is commonly found in describing daily life scenarios, such as cooking and studying.

5 examples

我先吃了早餐,然后去上学。
wǒ xiān chī le zǎo cān, rán hòu qù shàng xué。
I ate breakfast first, then went to school.
做完作业后,然后我们去看电影。
zuò wán zuò yè hòu, rán hòu wǒ men qù kàn diàn yǐng。
After finishing homework, we then went to watch a movie.
妈妈先洗了衣服,然后做饭。
mā ma xiān xǐ le yī fu, rán hòu zuò fàn。
Mom washed the clothes first, then cooked dinner.
我们吃了午饭,然后去公园玩。
wǒ men chī le wǔ fàn, rán hòu qù gōng yuán wán。
We had lunch and then went to the park to play.
做完家务后,然后我休息一下。
zuò wán jiā wù hòu, rán hòu wǒ xiū xi yí xià。
After finishing household chores, I took a rest.

5 mini stories

早上起来,然后刷牙洗脸。
zǎo shàng qǐ lái, rán hòu shuā yá xǐ liǎn。
In the morning, after getting up, we brush our teeth and wash our faces.
吃完晚饭后,然后我们去散步。
chī wán wǎn fàn hòu, rán hòu wǒ men qù sàn bù。
After dinner, we went for a walk.
做完作业,然后妈妈检查。
zuò wán zuò yè, rán hòu mā ma jiǎn chá。
After finishing homework, Mom checked it.
先看书,然后写读书笔记。
xiān kàn shū, rán hòu xiě dú shū bǐ jì。
Read the book first, then write a summary.
吃完早餐后,然后开始工作。
chī wán zǎo cān hòu, rán hòu kāi shǐ gōng zuò。
After having breakfast, we started working.

Mini dialogue

放学后

A
你放学后做什么?
Nǐ fàngxué hòu zuò shénme?
What do you do after school?
B
我先写作业,然后去公园玩。
Wǒ xiān xiě zuòyè, ránhòu qù gōngyuán wán.
I do my homework first, then go to the park to play.

做手工

A
我们怎么开始做手工?
Wǒmen zěnme kāishǐ zuò shǒugōng?
How do we start the craft?
B
先剪纸,然后贴上颜色。
Xiān jiǎn zhǐ, ránhòu tiē shàng yánsè.
Cut the paper first, then stick on the colors.

Related words and contrasts

similar
接着
jiē zhe
next; then

Used to describe an action that follows another

opposite
首先
shǒu xiān
firstly

Used for the first step, while 然后 is for the next step

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