n.
the day after tomorrow
后天
Common Usage & Traps
- 后天见 — See you the day after tomorrow
- 后天早上 — the morning of the day after tomorrow
- 后天出发 — to set off the day after tomorrow
- 大后天 — three days from today (the day after the day after tomorrow)
-
在后天后天Chinese time words like 今天, 明天, 后天 don't take 在 when they stand alone. 在 belongs with places (在家, 在公司) or with a noun glued on (在后天的会议上).
-
我去北京后天我后天去北京English parks time at the end of the sentence. Chinese parks it right before the verb, or at the very front.
-
后天我要成为有钱人 (meaning "someday")以后我要成为有钱人后天 is one exact date, not a vague future. For "someday, later on," use 以后 or 将来.
Where does 后天 go in a sentence?
Stick it before the verb. 后天 never trails at the end of a Chinese sentence.
Chinese time words sit in a slot right in front of the verb. English dumps time at the end, so learners write 我去北京后天. Flip it and you sound native: 我后天去北京. If the whole sentence is about that day, 后天 jumps to the very front. 后天有个好电影 and 后天有个会 both work. Questions follow the same slot: 你后天有空吗, never 你有空后天吗. “后天有个好电影。” (The day after tomorrow, there's a good movie.) ── [《时间和时候（1）卖车看电影》](/read/time-versus-moment#s10)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Time before verb | 我后天去北京 | 我去北京后天 |
| Time at the front | 后天有个好电影 | 有个好电影后天 |
| Question form | 你后天有空吗 | 你有空后天吗 |
Do you need 在 before 后天?
No. 在后天见 sounds off — 后天 already carries the "on that day" feeling.
在 mostly pairs with places: 在家, 在公司, 在健身房. With bare time words like 今天, 明天, 后天, Chinese drops it. So 后天见, 后天交房租, 后天再说 all stand on their own. The 在 returns the moment 后天 glues onto a noun: 在后天的面试上. There it's describing a specific event, not marking a time slot.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Standalone time | 后天见 | 在后天见 |
| Glued to a noun | 在后天的面试上 | 在后天面试 |
| Talking about a plan | 后天再说 | 在后天再说 |
Is 后天 the same as 两天后?
后天 is one fixed date — the second day counting from today.
两天后 just means "two days later" and counts from whatever moment you just mentioned. Say 他周五出发，两天后到 and you land on Sunday, not on a fixed date. 后天 needs no starting point, because everyone knows the clock starts today. You also can't stack it: there's no 三个后天, but 大后天 covers three days out.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Anchor point | Fixed to today | Fixed to whatever you just said |
| Everyday example | 后天见！ | 他周五出发，两天后到 |
| Counting forward | 大后天 (three days out) | 三个后天 |
Can 后天 mean "acquired" instead of a date?
Yes. In science and self-help writing, 后天 means learned or acquired, not a date.
先天 is what you're born with; 后天 is what life adds afterwards. 先天条件 talks about natural gifts, while 后天努力 is the work you put in later. You'll meet the pair in articles about talent, health, and habits. Context decides everything, so 后天见 is a date and 后天培养 is nurture. In a biology or upbringing text, read it as "acquired."
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | 后天 = acquired, learned | 后天 = the day after tomorrow |
| Paired opposite | 先天 (inborn) vs 后天 (acquired) | 先天 used for a date |
| Reading the context | 后天努力 (effort over a lifetime) | 后天努力 (effort the day after tomorrow) |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Follow a day from waking at six-thirty to coming home at eight, then leap across days, months, and years. This simple story helps you practice speaking about routines and life changes with clear time words.
- Scene #1
后天 有个好电影。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
No questions or discussions yet. Have a question about this character/word? Be the first to ask!