the day after tomorrow
后天
the day after tomorrow
Literally 'after day' (后 after + 天 day). The day after tomorrow (two days from today).
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)
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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).
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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.
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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.
“后天有个好电影。” (The day after tomorrow, there's a good movie.)
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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。
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