Now… now… (时而…时而…)

Structure 时而 + state/action A，时而 + state/action B

时而…时而… (shí'ér… shí'ér…) describes the alternation of two (or more) states or actions that recur intermittently: "now… now…", "sometimes… sometimes…". 天气时而晴，时而雨 = "the weather is now clear, now rainy". It is a literary-descriptive device, common when depicting landscapes, moods or shifting rhythms. Compared with colloquial 一会儿…一会儿… (HSK 3), 时而 is more refined and abstract, and can even appear just once (时而传来鸟鸣 = "now and then birdsong drifted over").

Examples

山shān间jiān的de天tiān气qì时shí而ér晴qíng朗lǎng，时shí而ér阴yīn雨yǔ。
The weather in the mountains is now clear, now overcast and rainy.
他tā的de情qíng绪xù时shí而ér高gāo涨zhǎng，时shí而ér低dī落luò。
His mood would now soar, now sink.
演yǎn讲jiǎng者zhě时shí而ér激jī昂áng，时shí而ér平píng静jìng，牢láo牢láo抓zhuā住zhù了le听tīng众zhòng。
The speaker, now impassioned, now calm, held the audience spellbound.

This point and the other 370, with audio on every example, inside Wanyu.

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