那会儿
nàhuìér · HSK 2
time
⏰ 那 (that) + 会儿 (a while) = that while = back then
那 means that, 会儿 means a short while or moment. Together they point to that moment in the past — back then, at that time. Common in spoken Beijing Mandarin.
那 — 邑 radical 阝(right) + 冄 phonetic
Originally referred to a place name in ancient China, with the right-side 阝 (city/region radical) indicating a settlement and 冄 providing the sound. Over time it lost its geographic meaning and was borrowed as a demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'those'.
会 — 人 person on top + 云 cloud/say below (simplified from 會)
The traditional form 會 showed a lid over a vessel with contents stacked inside, depicting things coming together — hence 'meet, gather, assemble.' From 'gathering' it extended to 'meeting,' then 'understand' (minds meeting) and 'be able to.' The simplified 会 keeps only a schematic top and bottom.