LEARN + CHINESE / 265 of 300 HSK 7–9
At First, and from Then On 起初
At first the new job felt overwhelming. 起初 sets the listener at the beginning; 后来才 can show what became clear only after things changed. 此后 looks back to a point already mentioned and carries the story forward from there.
What Changed Later
起初，我以为这份工作很简单，后来才发现每天都要加班。
Qǐchū, wǒ yǐwéi zhè fèn gōngzuò hěn jiǎndān, hòulái cái fāxiàn měitiān dōu yào jiābān.
At first, I thought this job would be easy; only later did I discover that we have to work overtime every day.
才 comes before the later result. It marks the point when the result finally happened or became clear, rather than simply saying that it happened later.
起初大家不太熟悉，合作了几次以后才慢慢了解彼此。
Qǐchū dàjiā bú tài shúxī, hézuò le jǐ cì yǐhòu cái mànmàn liǎojiě bǐcǐ.
At first, everyone was not very familiar with one another; only after working together a few times did they gradually get to know each other.
Hint · 힌트
起初 sets up an early stage; it does not mean “once” by itself. The change comes from the rest of the sentence: 起初…后来… (“at first…later…”) or 起初…后来才… (“at first…only later…”).
What Continued Afterward
毕业后，她先在广州工作。此后，她每年都会回家乡过年。
Bìyè hòu, tā xiān zài Guǎngzhōu gōngzuò. Cǐhòu, tā měi nián dōu huì huí jiāxiāng guònián.
After graduating, she first worked in Guangzhou. From then on, she returned to her hometown for Lunar New Year every year.
此后 points back to a time just given. It is common in writing and formal narration; everyday conversation often uses 那以后 (“after that”) instead.
那次谈话以后，他开始认真学中文。此后，他每天都练习一个小时。
Nà cì tánhuà yǐhòu, tā kāishǐ rènzhēn xué Zhōngwén. Cǐhòu, tā měitiān dōu liànxí yí ge xiǎoshí.
After that conversation, he began studying Chinese seriously. From then on, he practised for an hour every day.
In Real Life
后来 tells the reader what happened at a later point. 此后 shifts the timeline forward from a named event and often describes an ongoing consequence. That is why 此后 works naturally at the start of a new sentence.
Vocabulary
| Chinese | English |
|---|---|
qǐchū | at first; initially |
hòulái | later; afterward |
cǐhòu | from then on; afterward |
cái | only then; not until |
yǐwéi | to think (mistakenly or before learning more) |
fāxiàn | to discover; to find out |
shúxī | to be familiar with |
hézuò | to work together; cooperate |
bǐcǐ | each other |
mànmàn | gradually; slowly |
jiābān | to work overtime |
bìyè | to graduate |
tánhuà | conversation; to talk |
rènzhēn | serious; earnestly |
liànxí | to practise |
jiāxiāng | hometown |
měi nián | every year |
guònián | to celebrate Lunar New Year |
Guǎngzhōu | Guangzhou |
xiǎoshí | hour |
YOUR PROGRESS
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