时而

時而

shíér

adverb HSK 6 #20,993

Meanings

At times — used in literary or formal contexts for intermittent actions.

Tiānqì shí ér qíng, shí ér yīn.

The weather is sometimes sunny, sometimes cloudy.

Tā shí ér wēixiào, shí ér tànqì.

She sometimes smiles, sometimes sighs.

Tā de qíngxù shí ér gāozhǎng, shí ér dīluò.

His mood alternates between highs and lows.

usage

时而 is often used in pairs: 时而A，时而B = 'sometimes A, sometimes B.' It's more literary than 有时候.

memory

Think of it as 'time + and' — at this time and at that time, things keep changing.

时 shí

而 ér