后果
hòuguǒ · HSK 3
aftermath
💥 后 (after) + 果 (fruit/result) = the fruit that comes after — consequence
后 means 'after/behind' and 果 literally means 'fruit' but extends to 'result/outcome'. Together: the result that follows an action — aftermath or consequence, often with a negative tone.
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.
果 — fruit shape 田-like top + tree 木
果 is a pictograph: early forms show a tree (木) with round fruit hanging on its branches, later stylized into the 田-like top. Its original meaning was 'fruit', which extended to 'result, outcome' — the fruit of an action — and to 'resolute, decisive'.