How to say “at that time” in Chinese
at that time, originally
“At that time” in Chinese is 当初, dāng chū: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
当初 is read dāng chū: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
当然 — “it must be so”, that is, of course.
On the left, 衤 “clothing”; on the right, 刀 “knife”: sewing starts with cutting.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “当初”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 当初. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我后悔当初没听你的wǒhòuhuǐdāngchūméitīngnǐdeI regret not listening to you back then.
- 你当初为什么选择学中文？nǐdāngchūwèishénmexuǎnzéxuéZhōngwénWhy did you decide to learn Chinese back then?
More words from the lesson “At first and in past years”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “at that time” in Chinese?
“At that time” in Chinese is 当初, pinyin dāngchū.
What does 当初 mean?
当初 (dāngchū) means “at that time, originally”.
How do you write 当初?
当初 is 2 characters: 当 (dāng) — serve as; when; 初 (chū) — beginning, first. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 当初?
当初 is read dāngchū. Tones: dāng — first tone, chū — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“at that time” in the lesson “At first and in past years”
This word is from the topic “Time and deadlines” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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