后面
behind; at the back
hòumiàn
What does 后面 mean?
后面 (hòumiàn) is a position word — literally 'back-face / back-side' — meaning 'behind,' 'at the back,' or 'the rear.' In Chinese, position words like 后面 function as nouns, which is why they appear AFTER the thing they describe: 学校后面 ('behind the school'), not 后面学校. They also commonly follow 在 (zài, 'at') to form prepositional phrases: 在学校后面 ('at the back of the school' / 'behind the school').
后面 has a second sense too: 'later / further on' in sequence — 后面的事 ('what comes later') or 后面再说 ('we'll talk about it later'). The 面 (miàn) on the end is interchangeable with 边 (biān) in many cases — 后边 means the same thing and is slightly more spoken. 后面 is the most common, neutral form.
Character breakdown
back; behind; after; later
face; side; surface (used as a suffix in position words)
Memory hook: 'Back-face' — the side that's behind. Like the back face of a building.
Example sentences
我的书在你后面。
Wǒ de shū zài nǐ hòumiàn.
My book is behind you.
spoken
学校后面有一个公园。
Xuéxiào hòumiàn yǒu yí ge gōngyuán.
There's a park behind the school.
neutral
他坐在我后面。
Tā zuò zài wǒ hòumiàn.
He sits behind me.
neutral
后面的人请快一点。
Hòumiàn de rén qǐng kuài yìdiǎn.
People at the back, please hurry a bit.
spoken
Common phrases with 后面
Synonyms
后边 is the same meaning as 后面 — just slightly more colloquial / northern-flavored. In writing and most speech, 后面 is the safer default.
背后 ('behind-the-back') has a figurative edge — 'behind someone's back' (in secret) or the area immediately behind a person's body. 后面 is the neutral, physical position word.
Don't confuse 后面 with
以后 means 'after / later (in time)' — purely temporal. 后面 is primarily spatial ('behind'), though it can mean 'later' in a sequence. For 'after dinner,' use 吃饭以后, not 吃饭后面.
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