有时 (yǒu shí) — sometimes | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

有时 means 'sometimes' — a neutral adverb for things that happen now and then. It's more frequent than 偶尔 ('once in a while') and less frequent than 常常 ('often').

adverb

sometimes

Examples

有时。
Wǒ yǒu shí qù kàn diàn yǐng.
I sometimes go see a movie.
有时。
Tā yǒu shí huì gěi wǒ dǎ diàn huà.
He sometimes calls me.
有时？
Nǐ yǒu shí bù xué xí ma?
Do you sometimes not study?

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

有yǒuhave

时shítime

有 means have and 时 means time, so it pictures times when something happens.

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

肉肉ròumeat

Sound part声符shēngfú

又

又yòu有yǒu

Same sound today

The form 有 combines 又, used for its sound, with a shape from 肉, 'meat'; the hand-holding-meat story is a folk explanation, not shown in the oldest shape.

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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

之zhī時shí

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.

Open 时 →