以后 vs 然后 vs 后来 (then / after)

Telling your day in order

• You describe last Saturday: shopping, then lunch, and much later a surprise phone call.
• I我wǒfirst先xiānto go去qùto buy买mǎithing东西dōng xī，then然后rán hòuvariant of 吃吃chī(completed / change)了lelunch午饭wǔ fàn。later后来hòu lái，I我wǒ(modifier / structural particle)的deold friend老朋友lǎo péng yǒuto给gěiI我wǒto make a telephone call打电话dǎ diàn huà(completed / change)了le。 — "First I went shopping, then I had lunch. Later on, an old friend phoned me."

Three words for "after"

• after以后yǐ hòu follows an event (eat吃饭chī fànafter以后yǐ hòu) or, alone, means "in the future" (after以后yǐ hòuto say again再说zài shuō).
• then然后rán hòu links the next step, in the past or future (first先xiānwash hands洗手xǐ shǒu，then然后rán hòueat吃饭chī fàn). later后来hòu lái jumps forward in a past story only.

first先xiānwash hands洗手xǐ shǒu，then然后rán hòueat吃饭chī fàn。

Choosing by the situation

• Plan: we我们wǒ menfirst先xiāneat吃饭chī fàn，then然后rán hòuto go去qùto see看kànmovie电影diàn yǐng。 — "Let's eat first, then see a film." (after以后yǐ hòu / then然后rán hòu, not later后来hòu lái)
• Story: we我们wǒ menwere是shìuniversity大学dà xuéclassmates同学tóng xué，later后来hòu láimarry结婚jié hūn(completed / change)了le。 — "We were classmates at university, and later we got married."

we我们wǒ menwere是shìuniversity大学dà xuéclassmates同学tóng xué，later后来hòu láimarry结婚jié hūn了le。

Two common slips

after以后yǐ hòu after a clause

• I我wǒarrive到dào(completed / change)了leafter以后yǐ hòuto给gěiyou你nǐto make a telephone call打电话dǎ diàn huà。 — "I'll call you after I arrive."
• then然后rán hòu cannot do this job: it starts the next clause instead: I我wǒarrive到dào(completed / change)了le，then然后rán hòuto给gěiyou你nǐto make a telephone call打电话dǎ diàn huà。

I我wǒarrive到dào了leafter以后yǐ hòuto给gěiyou你nǐmake打dǎa call电话diàn huà。

Recap

Read the full reference: HSK 3 grammar — Comparing time words.