Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

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42.2

If the verb takes a one-syllable object, 了 le may also follow the object.

他吃了饭以后就看电视了。

他吃了飯以後就看電視了。

Tā chī le fàn yǐhòu jiù kàn diànshì le.

After he ate, he watched television.

他吃了晚饭以后就喝了一杯茶。

他吃了晚飯以後就喝了一杯茶。

Tā chī le wǎnfàn yǐhòu jiù hē le yī bēi chá.

After he ate dinner, he drank a cup of tea.

以后/以後 yǐhòu signals the same relationship of sequence as the English word ‘after.’ However,

there are important differences between 以后/以後 yǐhòu and ‘after.’

• 以后/以後 yǐhòu occurs at the end of the first clause:

我下了课以后

我下了課以後

wǒ xià le kè yǐhòu

‘After’ occurs at the beginning of the clause:

after I get out of class

• In Mandarin, the clause that ends with 以后/以後 yǐhòu must come first in the sentence.
  In English, the order of the clauses in the ‘after’ sentence is not fixed. Either can come
  first in the sentence. Compare the following sentences.
  Good English Good Mandarin

After I get out of class, I go home. 我下了课以后回家。

我下了課以後回家。

Wǒ xià le kè yǐhòu huí jiā.

Good English Bad Mandarin

I go home after I get out of class. *我回家下了课以后。

我回家下了课以后。

Wǒ huí jiā xià le kè yǐhòu.

Note the more literary form of 以后/以後 yhhòu is 之后/之後 zhchòu.

C9.6

42.2.2 adverbs that occur in sequence sentences

42.2.2.1 就 jiù
The adverb 就 jiù has several functions. One function is to signal a relationship of sequence
between events that occur in a series. The relationship of sequence indicated by 就 jiù reinforces
the meaning of sequence indicated by 以后/以後 yǐhòu. Therefore, 就 jiù often occurs with
以后/以後 yǐhòu in sequence sentences.
我学了中国历史以后就想去中国。
我學了中國歷史以後就想去中國。
Wǒ xué le Zhōngguó lìshǐ yǐhòu jiù xiǎng qù Zhōngguó.
After I studied Chinese history, I wanted to go to China.

The meaning of 就 jiù is related to the meaning of 以后/以後 yǐhòu, but the two words are

independent. 就 jiù may occur without 以后/以後 yǐhòu, and 以后/以後 yǐhòu may occur

without 就 jiù.