HSK 7
⋯⋯ ，此后⋯⋯
⋯ ⋯ ， cǐ hòu ⋯ ⋯
The structure '⋯⋯ ，此后⋯⋯' (after that, from then on)
Explanation
⋯⋯，此后⋯⋯ is a successive compound sentence structure (a sentence with two clauses following one another in time), using 此后 (cǐhòu) to state that the later event takes place from the reference point/event mentioned in the first clause.
(Clause 1 states an event/point in time), 此后 (cǐhòu, 'from then on, thereafter') + the following event.
In written usage or formal contexts, when recounting a development in chronological order; 此后 stresses 'from that moment onward'.
此后 (cǐhòu) = 'from then on' (a long stretch of time starting from that point); 然后 (ránhòu) = 'and then' (the immediately following event, colloquial); 从此 (cóngcǐ) is close in meaning to 此后 but stresses a definite change from that point.
此后 must have a preceding reference point/event as its starting point; do not use it at the very beginning before any reference point is given; and 此后 leans toward written usage—in intimate speech one should use 然后/后来.
Examples
We met once three years ago, and thereafter we never met again.
She married at the age of twenty; after that her husband fell ill, and she cared for him for four years.
Practice
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Learn “⋯⋯ ，此后⋯⋯” effectively
The grammar point “⋯⋯ ，此后⋯⋯” (The structure '⋯⋯ ，此后⋯⋯' (after that, from then on)) is one of the key structures at HSK 7. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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