时不时

時不時

shíbùshí

adverb HSK 7-9 #6,428

Meanings

1 from time to time
2 now and then
3 occasionally

Characters

Literally 'time-not-time' - at unpredictable intervals, sometimes yes and sometimes no.

Examples

HSK 1

这里时不时会下雨。

Zhèlǐ shíbùshí huì xiàyǔ.

It rains here now and then.

HSK 5

他时不时地回头看一眼。

Tā shíbùshí de huítóu kàn yī yǎn.

He glanced back from time to time.

Tips

usage

时不时 is more colloquial than 不时 or 偶尔. Often followed by 地 before the verb: 时不时地看手机.

Stroke Order

时 shí

不 bù