数次 (shù cì) — several times; repeatedly

Definition

Formal written word for 'several times' — stronger and more literary than 几次, which is everyday spoken Chinese.

numeral

several timesrepeatedly

数次。
Zhè ge fāng àn jīng guò shù cì tǎo lùn cái zuì zhōng què dìng.
This plan was finalized only after several rounds of discussion.
数次。
Tā céng shù cì huò dé quán guó guàn jūn.
He has won the national championship several times.
，数次。
Lǚ xíng tú zhōng, wǒ men shù cì tíng xià pāi zhào.
During the trip, we stopped several times to take photos.

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.

数次 pairs 数 meaning several with 次 meaning time to mean a few occurrences.

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 數; 数 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

婁

婁lóu數shù(r)

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 數 pairs 攴, the meaning part, with 婁, the sound part; the simplified 数 is a shorthand.

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.