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屡次 (lǚ cì) — repeatedly, time and again

Definition

屡次 is a written-form adverb for 'repeatedly' — more formal than 一再, with a stronger sense of many separate attempts. Common in reporting, news, and formal writing rather than everyday speech.

adverb
repeatedlytime and again
Easily confused

Examples

  • 屡次，。
    Tā lǚ cì cháng shì, zuì zhōng hái shì chéng gōng le.
    He tried repeatedly and finally succeeded.
  • 屡次，。
    Wǒ lǚ cì quàn tā, kě tā jiù shì bù tīng.
    I advised him time and again, but he just wouldn't listen.
  • 屡次，。
    Zhè xiàng shí yàn lǚ cì shī bài, dàn tā men méi yǒu fàng qì.
    This experiment failed repeatedly, but they did not give up.

Origin

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.

屡lǚrepeatedly
次cìtime

屡 means repeatedly, and 次 counts times, so together it means time after time.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 屢; 屡 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
婁
婁lóu屢lǚ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 屢 pairs 尸 with 婁; 尸 relates to the meaning and 婁 gives the sound. This note is about 屢, not about the simplified 屡.

Open 屡 →

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

The old form of 次 shows a person exhaling, with the marks above the figure representing breath.

Open 次 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Frequency & Duration

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