Meaning of 那时候
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- at that time
How to use 那时候
Use 那时候 to point back to a moment or period in the past, usually at the start of a sentence. It often pairs with a time already mentioned. Example: 那时候我还是学生。(Nà shíhou wǒ hái shì xuésheng.) At that time I was still a student.
那时候 is simply 那 (nà) "that" plus 时候 (shíhou) "time". So it means "that time", just like 那里 (nàlǐ) is "that place".
Common mistake: Learners often say the 候 in 时候 with a full fourth tone (hòu). In everyday speech it is neutral: shíhou. Another trap is putting 那时候 at the end of the sentence like English "then". Chinese puts time words before the verb.
那时候 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
那 nà · that · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
时 shí · o'clock · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
候 hòu · to wait · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 那时候.
| 时候 | shíhou | time; length of time |
| 那些 | nàxiē | those |
| 时间 | shíjiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time |
| 那里 | nàlǐ | there; that place |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 那边 | nàbiān | over there; yonder |
| 那儿 | nàr | there |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes |
| 那么 | nàme | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ... |
| 那样 | nàyàng | that kind; that sort |
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time |
Questions about 那时候
What does 那时候 mean?
那时候 (nà shíhou) means "at that time".
How do you write 那时候?
那时候 is made of 3 characters: 那 (6 strokes), 时 (7 strokes), 候 (10 strokes). That is 23 strokes in total.
Is 那时候 an HSK word?
Yes. 那时候 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 那时候 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 那时候 is written 那時候.
What is the difference between 那时候 and 那时?
They mean the same thing. 那时 (nàshí) is shorter and sounds a bit more written or literary. 那时候 is more common in casual speech.
Can 那时候 refer to the future?
Yes, it can, though past use is more common. For example: 明年我去中国，那时候我们见面。(Míngnián wǒ qù Zhōngguó, nà shíhou wǒmen jiànmiàn.) Next year I go to China, and we will meet then.