Sau

Thân thiện

Definition

1. Preposition:

   • Behind, at the back of: Indicates a position in back of or following something else in space.
   • After, following: Indicates a point in time later than another event or a sequence where one thing comes next.

2. Adverb:

   • Afterwards, later: Refers to a subsequent time or event.
   • In the back, at the rear: Describes a location towards the back.

Usage Examples

• Preposition:
  • Cô ấy đứng sau tôi. (She is standing behind me.)
  • Chúng tôi sẽ gặp nhau sau bữa trưa. (We will meet after lunch.)
• Adverb:
  • Anh ấy đến sau. (He arrived later.)
  • Phần này sẽ được giải thích sau. (This part will be explained afterwards.)

Advanced Usage

• "về sau": later on, in the future.
  • Về sau, tôi hiểu ra mọi chuyện. (Later on, I understood everything.)
• "sau cùng": finally, in the end.
  • Sau cùng, chúng tôi cũng tìm được giải pháp. (Finally, we found a solution.)
• "sau đó": after that, thereafter.
  • Chúng tôi ăn tối, sau đó xem phim. (We had dinner, after that we watched a movie.)

Variants and Related Words

• Sau lưng (prepositional phrase): behind someone's back (often figuratively).
  • Đừng nói xấu sau lưng người khác. (Don't speak ill of others behind their backs.)
• Sau này (adverbial phrase): later, in the future.
  • Sau này tôi muốn trở thành bác sĩ. (In the future, I want to become a doctor.)
• Đằng sau (preposition/adverb): behind, at the back (emphasizing location).
  • Chìa khóa nằm đằng sau bình hoa. (The key is behind the vase.)

Synonyms

• Preposition: Behind, after, following.
• Adverb: Afterwards, later, subsequently.

Related Idioms

• Trước sau như một: to be consistent from start to finish.
  • Anh ấy trước sau như một, luôn giữ lời hứa. (He is consistent, always keeping his promises.)
• Đầu voi đuôi chuột: a grand start but a poor finish (lit. "head of an elephant, tail of a mouse"). This idiom contrasts a strong beginning ("trước") with a weak ending ("sau").
  • Kế hoạch đó đầu voi đuôi chuột. (That plan started grandly but ended poorly.)

Học thuật

conj

1. behind, at the back of, hind, rear
2. hereinafter, below, following, as follows