然后
ránhòu · HSK 2
and then
➡️ 然 = so/thus + 后 = after; literally 'thus-after' = and then
然 means 'so/thus' and 后 means 'after/behind', so 然后 reads as 'thus-after' — the natural Chinese way to say 'and then' when sequencing events. Common pairing: 先...然后... = first... then...
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.