...以前 / ...以后
Reach for these when you need to say 'before X' or 'after X' — the basic time-markers Chinese uses to anchor an event in time. They go AFTER the reference point (the time, action, or event), which is the opposite of English. So '吃饭以前' is 'before eating,' literally 'eat-food before.' Use 以前 to talk about anything earlier than a moment, 以后 for anything later.
Structure
[TIME/EVENT] 以前 | [TIME/EVENT] 以后
...yǐqián / ...yǐhòu
How to Think About It
Chinese puts the time word AFTER its anchor — English puts 'before/after' in front. Train yourself to write the event first, then stamp 以前 or 以后 at the end. Bare 以前/以后 can also stand alone meaning 'in the past' / 'from now on,' but the moment you anchor them to something specific, that anchor goes in front.
Examples
吃饭以前, 我洗手。
Chīfàn yǐqián, wǒ xǐ shǒu.
Before eating, I wash my hands.
下课以后, 我们去吃饭。
Xiàkè yǐhòu, wǒmen qù chīfàn.
After class, we go eat.
二十岁以前, 他没去过北京。
Èrshí suì yǐqián, tā méi qù guo Běijīng.
Before he was twenty, he hadn't been to Beijing.
Common Mistake
English speakers translate word-for-word and put 以前/以后 first, mimicking 'before I eat.' In Chinese, the anchor always comes first; 以前/以后 is a tail-end marker.
以前吃饭, 我洗手。
吃饭以前, 我洗手。
Don't Confuse With
...的时候
Means 'when / at the time of' — the action and reference overlap in time, not before or after. Use 的时候 for 'when I was eating'; use 以前 for 'before I ate.'
先...再/然后...
Sequences two actions for the same speaker ('first A, then B'). Use it when you're laying out steps; use 以前/以后 when you're locating one event relative to another.
从前 / 后来
Free-standing time words meaning 'long ago' and 'later on (in a story).' They start a clause and don't attach to a specific event the way 以前/以后 do.
Practice
睡觉 ___, 我喝牛奶。
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以前
下班 ___, 我去买东西。
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以后
Put in order: [我 / 以后 / 看电视 / 吃饭]
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吃饭以后, 我看电视。
Translate to Chinese: 'Before going to China, I didn't speak Chinese.'
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去中国以前, 我不会说中文。
Write one sentence with ...以前 and one with ...以后 about your daily routine.
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Example answer: 起床以后, 我刷牙。睡觉以前, 我看书。 (After getting up, I brush my teeth. Before sleeping, I read.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear ...以前 / ...以后 in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.