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当时dāng shíthen; at that time

HSK 4word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

当时 (dāng shí) means "then; at that time." It appears in 当时我还是学生。 (At that time I was still a student.) and 当时我觉得很难。 (At the time, I thought it was hard.) It combines 当 (just at (a time or place)) and 时 (time). A learner recalls 当时我想去中国上大学。 (At that time I wanted to go to university in China.)

What does 当时 mean?

  1. 1.

    then; at that timenoun

What do the characters in 当时 mean?

  • 当just at (a time or place)
  • 时time

How do you use 当时?

See it in 当时我还是学生 and 当时我觉得很难

What are some examples of 当时 in a sentence?

  1. 当时我还是学生。

    Dāngshí wǒ háishì xuésheng.

    At that time I was still a student.

  2. 当时我觉得很难。

    Dāngshí wǒ juéde hěn nán.

    At the time, I thought it was hard.

How is 当时 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你为什么开始学中文?

    Nǐ wèishénme kāishǐ xué Zhōngwén?

    Why did you start learning Chinese?

  2. Speaker B:

    当时我想去中国上大学。

    Dāngshí wǒ xiǎng qù Zhōngguó shàng dàxué.

    At that time I wanted to go to university in China.

  3. Speaker A:

    现在呢?

    Xiànzài ne?

    And now?

  4. Speaker B:

    现在我很喜欢中文。

    Xiànzài wǒ hěn xǐhuan Zhōngwén.

    Now I really like Chinese.

Can you use 当时 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: ___我还是学生。 (At that time I was still a student.)
  2. 2.What does 当时我觉得很难。 mean?
  3. 3.Fill in the blank: ___我想去中国上大学。 (At that time I wanted to go to university in China.)

What should you learn next?

English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.