当时dāng shíthen; at that time
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.
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?
How is 当时 used in a conversation?
- Speaker A:
你为什么开始学中文?
Nǐ wèishénme kāishǐ xué Zhōngwén?
Why did you start learning Chinese?
- 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.
- Speaker A:
现在呢?
Xiànzài ne?
And now?
- 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 answeredWhat should you learn next?
- Free HSK 3 level testSee which HSK 3.0 level your vocabulary matches.
- HSK 4 word listEvery word at this level, with examples.
- HSK 3.0 guideHow the nine levels and three bands work.
Related words
- 同时tóng shíat the same time; simultaneouslyHSK 4
- 当dāngto be; to act asHSK 4
- 当然dāng ráncertainly; of course; without doubtHSK 3
- 时shítime; whenHSK 2
- 小时xiǎo shíhourHSK 1
- 时候shí houtime; length of time; moment; periodHSK 1
Browse every entry in the Chinese word dictionary.
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.