Meaning of 不时
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- from time to time
- now and then
- occasionally
- frequently
How to use 不时
不时 is an adverb placed before the verb to show an action repeats at irregular intervals, often fairly often. It is common in written and narrative Chinese. Example: 他不时看看手表。(Tā bùshí kànkan shǒubiǎo.) He kept glancing at his watch now and then.
不时 combines 不 (bù, not) and 时 (shí, time). Think of it as "not at a fixed time": something that pops up at irregular moments, now and then.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes confuse 不时 with 不久 (bùjiǔ, soon) or read it as "never" because of 不. It does not negate anything; it means the action happens repeatedly. Also note the tone: 不 stays fourth tone here (bùshí) because 时 is second tone.
不时 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
时 shí · o'clock · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 不时.
| 时候 | shíhou | time; length of time |
| 时间 | shíjiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
Questions about 不时
What does 不时 mean?
不时 (bùshí) means "from time to time; now and then" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 不时?
不时 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 时 (7 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 不时 an HSK word?
Yes. 不时 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 不时 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 不时 is written 不時.
What is the difference between 不时 and 有时候?
有时候 (yǒu shíhou) means "sometimes" and often contrasts with other times, as in 有时候忙，有时候不忙. 不时 stresses that something keeps recurring at intervals during a period, and it sounds more literary.
Can 不时 be used at the start of a sentence?
Usually no. 不时 normally goes after the subject and before the verb, as in 窗外不时传来笑声 (Chuāng wài bùshí chuánlái xiàoshēng), Laughter came from outside the window now and then.