不时 (bù shí) — from time to time; occasionally

Definition

不时 means 'from time to time' — a formal, written alternative to 有时 (everyday 'sometimes'). Closer in frequency to 偶尔 than to 常常 or 时常.

from time to timeoccasionally

不时。
Tā bù shí huì lái tú shū guǎn kàn shū.
He comes to the library to read from time to time.
不时。
Chuāng wài bù shí chuán lái niǎo jiào shēng.
From time to time, the sound of birds comes from outside the window.
不时。
Wǒ men bù shí jù zài yì qǐ liáo tiān.
We get together and chat occasionally.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不 negates 时, which can mean timely or at fixed times; so it indicates not fixed timing, hence from time to time.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 時; 时 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

日日rìsun; day

Sound part声符shēngfú

之

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 時 pairs 日 (sun/day) with 之 as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 时 is not the form described.

Appears in