Question 1

What does 然后 mean in Chinese?

Accepted Answer

然后 (ránhòu) is a sequencing conjunction meaning 'then; afterwards; and then.' It links two actions or events in time order: first A, then B. Place it at the start of the second clause: 我先吃饭，然后看电视 ('I'll eat first, then watch TV'). Two contrasts with English 'then': first, 然后 is purely temporal — it does NOT mean 'in that case / if so,' which is 那 / 那么 in Chinese. Saying 'If you're tired, then rest' uses 那, not 然后.

Second, 然后 often pairs with 先 (xiān, 'first') in the front clause: 先...然后... is the standard frame for two-step instructions. Casual synonyms: 后来 (hòulái) for past sequences, 接着 (jiēzhe)

Question 2

How do you pronounce 然后?

Accepted Answer

然后 is pronounced ránhòu — 然 (rán), 后 (hòu).

Question 3

Is 然后 a noun, verb, or something else?

Accepted Answer

然后 is a conjunction, register: neutral. Extremely common in spoken Chinese for sequencing events. In casual storytelling, speakers chain 然后...然后...然后 the way English speakers chain 'and then... and then...' — used in moderation it's natural; overused it sounds childish.

Question 4

What's the difference between 然后 and 那?

Accepted Answer

那 / 那么 means 'in that case, so' — the LOGICAL 'then,' as in 'if you're tired, then rest.' 然后 is the TEMPORAL 'then,' as in 'first eat, then sleep.' English uses 'then' for both; Chinese splits them.

Question 5

What's the difference between 然后 and 当然?

Accepted Answer

Both contain 然, but 当然 means 'of course / certainly' — totally different word.

然后

What does 然后 mean?

Character breakdown

Example sentences

Common phrases with 然后

Synonyms

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