往后
wǎng hoù · HSK 6
from now on
⏩ 往 (toward) + 后 (after) = toward what comes after, from now on
往 means going toward a direction. 后 means behind or after in time. Together they point you forward along the timeline: everything that lies after this moment, i.e. from now on.
往 — 彳 (step radical) + 主 (phonetic)
往 originally depicted a foot moving toward a place, with the 彳 radical signaling motion or walking. The right component 主 served mainly as a phonetic clue. Over time the meaning settled into 'to go (toward)' and, by extension, 'past' or 'previously'.
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.