later; afterward; later generation
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
later; afterward; subsequently (referring to past time)
A time noun. 1. Can only be used independently, not as a postposition (e.g., cannot say '七月后来'). 2. Can only refer to the past, not the future (e.g., cannot say '后来你要注意'). Contrast with '以后' (yǐhòu), which can be used as a postposition and can refer to both past and future.
He sent a letter last February, but there has been no news from him since.
We were just friends at first, and only later did we become a couple.
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That company was very successful at first, but later it went bankrupt.
adjective
later-arriving; later-growing; of a later generation
Used to describe people or things that come into existence or arrive after others.
He is a later arrival at the company, but he is progressing quickly.
These young scholars are the successors to our cause.
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The latecomers surpass the old-timers. (idiom)