然后 后来 以后
Pattern
Event 1，然后 / 后来 / 以后 + event 2
Key words
Core idea
然后, 后来, and 以后 all connect time, but they are not interchangeable.
Quick distinction
然后 means “then” in a sequence.
后来 means “later” in a story or past development.
以后 means “after” a time or event.
Mini decision rule
Use 然后 to list next steps, 后来 to tell what happened later, and 以后 after the reference point that something follows.
Examples
我先吃饭，然后去上课。
Wǒ xiān chīfàn, ránhòu qù shàngkè.
I eat first, then go to class.
他小时候住在台中，后来搬到台北。
Tā xiǎoshíhou zhù zài Táizhōng, hòulái bān dào Táiběi.
He lived in Taichung as a child, and later moved to Taipei.
下课以后，我们去买饮料。
Xiàkè yǐhòu, wǒmen qù mǎi yǐnliào.
After class, we go buy drinks.
Common mistakes
Avoid
以后下课，我们去买饮料。
Use
下课以后，我们去买饮料。
When 以后 means after a specific event, put it after that event.
Seen in stories
The Interview With No Guest
小周先关掉嘉宾麦克风，然后把录音机拿出门。
Xiao Zhou first turns off the guest microphone, then takes the recorder out the door.
The Interview With No Guest
他们走到操场以后，先录下球鞋摩擦地面的声音。
After they walk to the field, they first record the sound of sneakers rubbing the ground.
The Interview With No Guest
后来，食堂阿姨给他们讲了今天最早来吃饭的学生。
Later, a cafeteria worker tells them about the student who came earliest for dinner today.
The Interview With No Guest
节目播出以后，听众留言说这像一张会说话的校园地图。
After the program airs, listeners comment that it is like a campus map that can speak.
The Interview With No Guest
取消的嘉宾也听见了，后来主动约下周再来。
The canceled guest hears it too, and later volunteers to come next week.
Show 5 more story examples
The Interview With No Guest
阿宁说：“以后谁迟到，我们就先采访他的座位。”
A Ning says, “From now on, if anyone is late, we will first interview their seat.”
The Book That Took the Mountain Train
后来，另一个乘客看见书签，知道书店离本站不远。
Later, another passenger saw the bookmark and knew the bookshop was not far from this station.
The Four-Word Toast
大家先安安静静，后来一起笑起来。
Everyone is quiet at first, then they laugh together.
The Four-Word Toast
那晚以后，社区群组把这八个字当成新的聚餐名字。
After that night, the community group uses those eight characters as the new dinner name.
The KTV King
后来，他一直唱了三个小时，连一口水都没喝。
Later, he sang continuously for three hours, not drinking even a mouthful of water.