Chinese word

那时候

Pronunciation

Pinyinnà shí hòu

Meaning

  • nounat that time

Example

我那时候还在上学。wǒ nà shí hòu hái zài shàng xué

I was still in school at that time.

Illustration for 那时候 (at that time)

More examples

那时候的事我还记得很清楚。nà shí hòu de shì wǒ hái jì de hěn qīng chǔ

I still remember what happened then very clearly.

Core concept

A time window that gives an event or situation its setting, whether the window is brief or lasts for years.

Common phrases

  • 那时候还nà shí hòu hái

    still then

  • 那时候的事nà shí hòu de shì

    what happened then

  • 那时候常常nà shí hòu cháng cháng

    often at that time

Similar words

当时dāng shí: The specific time or period during which an event or situation took place.
那时nà shí: A concise reference to a certain time already known from the context.

Definition in Chinese

表示某一具体时刻或一段时期，强调以该时刻或时期为背景的情况或动作，常用于叙述性语境。biǎo shì mǒu yí jù tǐ shí kè huò yí duàn shí qī qiáng diào yǐ gāi shí kè huò shí qī wèi bèi jǐng de qíng kuàng huò dòng zuò cháng yòng yú xù shù xìng yǔ jìng

Word origin

那 (nà, "that") points to a time already identified in the story, while 时候 (shíhou, "time") names the moment or period itself.

Usage tips

  • English often uses different wording for one past moment and a longer past period, while this Chinese expression can cover both, with the context showing the length.

Other meanings

  • around thennoun
  • in those daysnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word