时候
shí hou
time
length of time; moment; period
measured time (时) + a person waiting (候) = a moment or period in time
时 pairs the sun with a measuring hand, evoking time tracked by light and interval. 候 lends the sense of a person waiting and watching, so together the word captures both the span of time and the moment one stands within it.
你什么时候回家？
nǐ shén me shí hou huí jiā？
when are you coming home?
小时候，我每天都和朋友在外面玩。
xiǎo shí hou，wǒ měi tiān dōu hé péng you zài wài miàn wán。
when i was little, i played outside with friends every day.