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那会儿 (nà huì r) — at that time (colloquial), then, back then

Definition

Colloquial 'at that time / back then', used in spoken Chinese and narrative. Pairs naturally with 那时 (more formal) — 那会儿 is everyday speech, 那时 is neutral and works in writing.

pronoun
at that time (colloquial)thenback then

Examples

  • 那会儿。
    nà huì r Wǒ hái zài shàng xué.
    Back then I was still in school.
  • 那会儿。
    Cóng nà huì r dào xiàn zài yǐ jīng shí nián le.
    It has been ten years from then until now.
  • 那会儿。
    nà huì r Wǒ hái bù zhī dào tā de míng zì.
    At that time I still didn't know his name.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

那nàthat
会儿
会huìtime儿érerhua
后缀Suffix

那 points to a time, and 会 with 儿 marks a moment, giving 'back then'.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
邑邑yìcity
Sound part声符shēngfú
冄
冉rǎn那nà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The right part 邑 shows a city, and the left part 冄 (written 冉) gives the sound. The character first named a state and was later used to mean 'that'.

Open 那 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)

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