Meaning of 时而
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- occasionally; from time to time
How to use 时而
时而 is a fairly formal or written adverb meaning "occasionally". It is often doubled as 时而...时而... to show two things alternating. Example: 天气时而晴，时而雨。(Tiānqì shí'ér qíng, shí'ér yǔ.) The weather is sometimes sunny, sometimes rainy.
时 (shí) means time and 而 (ér) is a linking word, so 时而 is like saying "at times, and then". Picture time ticking by and something popping up now and then.
Common mistake: Learners often use 时而 in casual speech where 有时候 (yǒushíhou) sounds more natural, since 时而 has a written, descriptive feel. Also remember the apostrophe in shí'ér, which marks the syllable break so it is not misread.
时而 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.
时 shí · o'clock · 7 strokes
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而 ér · and · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 时而.
| 时候 | shíhou | time; length of time |
| 时间 | shíjiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes |
| 而且 | érqiě | (not only ...) but also; moreover; in addition; furthermore |
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time |
| 那时 | nà shí | then; at that time |
| 同时 | tóngshí | at the same time; simultaneously |
| 随时 | suíshí | at any time; at all times; at the right time; whenever necessary |
| 小时候 | xiǎoshíhou | in one's childhood |
| 平时 | píngshí | ordinarily; in normal times |
Questions about 时而
What does 时而 mean?
时而 (shí'ér) means "occasionally; from time to time" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 时而?
时而 is made of 2 characters: 时 (7 strokes), 而 (6 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 时而 an HSK word?
Yes. 时而 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 时而 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 时而 is written 時而.
What is the difference between 时而 and 有时候?
Both mean "sometimes", but 有时候 is everyday spoken Chinese. 时而 is more literary and is especially common in the paired pattern 时而A时而B to describe quick alternation.
Can 时而 be placed at the start of a sentence?
It usually comes after the subject and before the verb or adjective, as in 他时而笑，时而哭 (tā shí'ér xiào, shí'ér kū). Putting it before the subject is uncommon, unlike 有时候, which often starts a sentence.