Definition
时而 (shí ér) means 'occasionally, from time to time', but it is also used in the pattern 时而…时而… to describe alternating states ('now…now…'). Compared to 偶尔 (ǒu ěr, 'occasionally') and 不时 (bù shí, 'from time to time'), 时而 is more literary and often implies a regular alternation when reduplicated.
adverb
occasionallyfrom time to time(reduplicated pattern 时而…时而…) now…now…sometimes…sometimes…
Examples
- 时而。Tā shí ér huì qù túshūguǎn kàn shū.He goes to the library to read from time to time.
- 时而，时而，。shí ér qíngtiān, shí ér xiàyǔ, zhèlǐ de tiānqì biànhuà hěn kuài.Sometimes it's sunny, sometimes it rains — the weather here changes quickly.
- 时而，时而，。Tā shí ér gāoxìng, shí ér nánguò, qíngxù hěn bù wěndìng.She's happy one moment and sad the next — her moods are quite unstable.
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