时而 shí’ér occasionally
occasionally; from time to time
How to remember 时而: 时 time + 而 and yet = occasionally.
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How it is used
- From time to time; or paired, 'now… now…' - 时而下雨 (shí'ér xiàyǔ) it rains now and then; 时而高兴，时而伤心 (shí'ér gāoxìng, shí'ér shāngxīn) alternately happy and sad.
- The paired 时而…时而… pattern (alternating between two states) is its most distinctive use. Written, literary flavor.