后天
hoù tiān · HSK 1
the day after tomorrow
📅 后 = after/later + 天 = day/sky; literally the after-day-day
Decomposition: 后 (hòu) means after or behind; 天 (tiān) means day or sky. Together: the day after the next day. The same 后 + 天 also yields the abstract sense acquired or post-natal — what comes after birth, not innate.
后 — 厂 cliff + 一 + 口 mouth
Originally depicted a ruler or sovereign issuing commands, showing a figure with a mouth giving orders. It came to mean 'queen' or 'empress.' In modern simplified Chinese, 后 also absorbed the meaning 'behind/after' from the traditional character 後, so context decides which sense applies.
天 — 一 (one/sky) above 大 (big person)
Originally a pictograph of a person (大) with an emphasized head, representing what is above — the sky or heavens. The top stroke evolved into 一, symbolizing the vast expanse overhead. From 'sky' it extended to mean 'day,' 'heaven,' and 'nature.'