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How to Say ‘A while ago’ in Simplified Chinese

前阵子

qián zhèn zi

[qián zhènzi]

💬 Usage Tip: 阵子 means "a stretch of time". Swap the front word to shift the timeframe: 这阵子 "lately", 前阵子 "a while back".

Phrase Breakdown

前

qián

[qián]

previous; a while ago

Refers to a time in the recent past.

Example

前几天我感冒了。

I had a cold a few days ago.

阵子

zhèn zi

[zhènzi]

period of time

A spell or stretch of time.

Example

这阵子天气很热。

The weather has been hot lately.

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