後

hòu

behind, rear, after; descendants

Meaning

Spatial: Behind or rear; physical location or relative position. Opposite of 前.
Temporal: After, later, or subsequently; may refer to the future ("the days to come").
Lineage and Succession: Descendants, heirs, posterity, or successors (family, ancestral rites, or transmission of office/knowledge).

Grammar and usage

Modifier: Used as an adjective denoting position.
Temporal Anchor: Functions as a preposition or conjunction to establish sequence.
Substantive Noun: Referring to the future, a legacy, or a specific person/group of descendants.

Distinctions

後 vs. 后: In early texts (Warring States through early Han), a distinction is typically maintained between 後 (spatial/temporal) and 后 (political title: sovereign, monarch, or queen). While these may be merged in later usage, the distinction is critical for very early manuscripts.

History and forms

Simplified variant: U+540E.

Translator notes

When distinguishing between "descendant" and "later," check for accompanying terms of kinship or inheritance such as 嗣 (inherit) or 代 (generation).
To distinguish a "subsequent event" from a "delay," look for the presence of 遲 (slow/late) to indicate temporal lag rather than simple sequence.

Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the glyph means in a particular passage.