时不时
shíbùshí
from time to time
Part of speech · adverb
Pattern visualization
Examples
- 他时不时回头看一眼。He glances back from time to time.
- 这台旧电脑时不时死机。This old computer crashes every now and then.
Collocations
时不时地时不时来时不时想起时不时出现
Mnemonic
时不时 is a colloquial adverb built from 时 "time" and 不 "not"; literally "at times not, at times", it means from time to time, every now and then. Korean renders it as "from time to time, now and then". It marks irregular, intermittent occurrence (时不时地出现 to appear now and then). Compared with 偶尔 (occasionally), it carries a sense of recurring "just when you forget". It often appears as 时不时地.
Related
偶尔不时时常有时
Quick check
What does 时不时 mean?