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偶尔 (ǒu ěr) — (adverb) occasionally, once in a while; (adjective) occasional

Definition

偶尔 means 'occasionally, once in a while' — similar to 有时, but stresses that something happens only rarely, not regularly. As an adjective (偶然的), it describes a rare, non-recurring event.

adverb
occasionallyonce in a while
adjective
occasional

Examples

  • 偶尔。
    Wǒ ǒu ěr huì qù kàn diàn yǐng.
    I occasionally go watch movies.
  • 偶尔。
    Tā ǒu ěr yě huì chí dào.
    He is also late occasionally.
  • 偶尔。
    Zhè zhǐ shì ǒu ěr de tiān qì biàn huà.
    This is just an occasional weather change.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

偶ǒuoccasional
尔ěr

偶 contributes the idea of chance, and 尔 completes the sense of occasionally.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
禺
禺yú偶ǒu
Same sound today

偶 pairs 亻 (person) with 禺 for the sound. The evidence describes it as a statue of a person, an idol.

Open 偶 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 爾; 尔 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 爾, simplified as 尔, originally drew cloth on a loom with crossing threads. It was borrowed for its sound to write “you,” so the picture is unrelated to that meaning.

Open 尔 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 4Frequency & Duration5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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