Chinese word

偶尔

Pronunciation

Pinyinǒu ěr

Meaning

  • adverbsometimes

Example

他偶尔会迟到。tā óu ěr huì chí dào

He is sometimes late.

Illustration for 偶尔 (sometimes)

More examples

这个程序偶尔会出错，需要重启。zhè ge chéng xù óu ěr huì chū cuò xū yào chóng qǐ

This program occasionally goes wrong and needs to be restarted.

Core concept

Marks an event as a small break from the usual pattern, appearing only now and then rather than as a habit.

Common phrases

  • 偶尔出错óu ěr chū cuò

    occasionally go wrong

  • 偶尔出现问题óu ěr chū xiàn wèn tí

    occasionally have problems

Similar words

有时候yǒu shí hòu: Marks an action or situation as occurring at some times but not others.
时而shí ér: Marks changing actions or states as appearing from time to time in an alternating pattern.
时不时shí bù shí: Marks an action or situation as recurring now and then in casual speech.

Definition in Chinese

表示在通常情形之外，零星发生的动作或情况，强调发生次数少且非习惯性。biǎo shì zài tōng cháng qíng xíng zhī wài líng xīng fā shēng de dòng zuò huò qíng kuàng qiáng diào fā shēng cì shù shǎo qiě fēi xí guàn xìng

Word origin

偶尔 (ǒuěr, "occasionally") combines 偶 (ǒu, "by chance") with 尔 (ěr, "a classical ending"), giving the sense of something that happens by chance from time to time.

Usage tips

  • English sometimes can describe both rare exceptions and fairly regular habits, but this word usually points to the less frequent end of that range.

Opposites

Word lists with this word