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後來

简后来 · 繁後來

Mandarin · pinyin hòu lái

afterwards; later
newly arrived

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Characters in this entry

後: hòu · behind, rear, after; descendents
來: lái · come, coming; return, returning
后: hòu · queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after
来: lái · come, coming; return, returning

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–2 · hou4 lai2

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4character links1same-tone record

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

後來 · find source passages ↗ · 后来 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hau6 loi4

Cantonese word readings for 後來. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

later; later on; afterwards
(literary) people with less experience; younger generation

verb

to arrive late

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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