Before this / after this / in the meantime (此前/此后/此间)

Structure …（narrated fact）。此前 / 此后 / 此间 + …（what came before / after / what happened in between）

The three are journalistic temporal deictics anchored to an already-narrated fact, using the literary 此 ("this") as the reference point. 此前 (cǐqián) = "before this, until then"; 此后 (cǐhòu) = "after this, from then on"; 此间 (cǐjiān) = "in this interval, meanwhile" (sometimes also "around here, in these parts"). They are the written, formal counterpart of 在这之前 / 在这之后 / 这期间. They string the narrative together without repeating the date or event already mentioned.

Examples

协xié议yì于yú昨zuó日rì签qiān署shǔ，此cǐ前qián双shuāng方fāng已yǐ进jìn行xíng多duō轮lún磋cuō商shāng。
The agreement was signed yesterday; before this, the two sides had held several rounds of talks.
政zhèng策cè于yú今jīn年nián初chū出chū台tái，此cǐ后hòu市shì场chǎng逐zhú渐jiàn回huí暖nuǎn。
The policy was rolled out early this year; after this, the market gradually warmed up.
代dài表biǎo团tuán上shàng周zhōu抵dǐ达dá，此cǐ间jiān举jǔ行xíng了le多duō场chǎng会huì谈tán。
The delegation arrived last week; in the meantime, several meetings have been held.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

This point and the other 370, with audio on every example, inside Wanyu.