xiǎo shí hou
in one’s childhood; when one was young
Practice writing with stroke order guidance, audio pronunciation, and interactive exercises in our mobile app.
Step-by-step stroke order animations
Native speaker audio pronunciation
Interactive writing recognition
小时候，我住在乡下。
xiǎo shí hou, wǒ zhù zài xiāng xià.
When I was a child, I lived in the countryside.
小时候，我经常和朋友们一起玩耍。
xiǎo shí hou, wǒ jīng cháng hé péng you men yī qǐ wán shuǎ.
When I was a child, I often played with my friends.
小时候，我梦想成为一名宇航员。
xiǎo shí hou, wǒ mèng xiǎng chéng wéi yī míng yǔ háng yuán.
When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut.
童年 (tóngnián)
childhood
幼年 (yòunián)
early childhood
成年后 (chéng nián hòu)
adulthood
长大后 (zhǎng dà hòu)
after growing up
The Chinese word 小时候 (xiǎo shíhòu) is a compound word consisting of two characters: 小 (xiǎo), meaning "small" or "young," and 时候 (shíhòu), meaning "time" or "period." Together, these characters form a noun that refers to one's childhood or the time when one was young.The character 小 (xiǎo) is a pictograph that depicts a child with a large head and a small body. This character has been used in Chinese writing for thousands of years and has a variety of meanings, including "small," "young," "insignificant," and "inferior."The character 时候 (shíhòu) is a compound word consisting of two characters: 时 (shí), meaning "time" or "season," and 候 (hòu), meaning "moment" or "opportunity." Together, these characters form a noun that refers to a specific time or period.When combined, the characters 小 (xiǎo) and 时候 (shíhòu) form the word 小时候 (xiǎo shíhòu), which specifically refers to the time when one was young or a child. This word is often used in a nostalgic or sentimental way to refer to one's childhood memories or experiences.
