How to say “now and then” in Chinese
now and then, from time to time
“Now and then” in Chinese is 不时, bù shí: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
不时 is read bù shí: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Before a fourth tone it is read bú: 不是 bú shì.
On the left, 日 “sun”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “不时”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 不时. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 窗外不时传来笑声chuāngwàibùshíchuánláixiàoshēngEvery now and then laughter comes in from outside the window.
- 他不时回头看我们tābùshíhuítóukànwǒmenHe kept looking back at us.
More words from the lesson “Now and then, now this, now that”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “now and then” in Chinese?
“Now and then” in Chinese is 不时, pinyin bùshí.
What does 不时 mean?
不时 (bùshí) means “now and then, from time to time”.
How do you write 不时?
不时 is 2 characters: 不 (bù) — not, no; 时 (shí) — time. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 不时?
不时 is read bùshí. Tones: bù — fourth tone, shí — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“now and then” in the lesson “Now and then, now this, now that”
This word is from the topic “Time and deadlines” of HSK 6. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free