Meaning
后天 literally means 'after day' and refers to the day that comes two days from now. It's one of the basic time expressions in Chinese, forming part of the sequence: 前天 (day before yesterday), 昨天 (yesterday), 今天 (today), 明天 (tomorrow), 后天 (day after tomorrow).
Usage
后天 is used exactly like 'the day after tomorrow' in English and can function as a time word without needing any preposition. Native speakers use it frequently in everyday conversation when making plans or discussing future events. It can be placed at the beginning of a sentence or before the verb phrase.
Examples
- 01我们后天去北京。.We're going to Beijing the day after tomorrow.
- 02后天是我妈妈的生日。.The day after tomorrow is my mom's birthday.
Characters
Common collocations
- 后天见see you the day after tomorrow
- 后天早上the morning of the day after tomorrow
- 到后天by the day after tomorrow
Antonyms
Origin
The word combines 后 (after/later) with 天 (day) to create a compound that literally means 'the day that comes after [tomorrow]'. This logical construction is typical of Chinese time expressions.