偶爾

Chinese

		accidental; image; pair accidental; image; pair; mate	thus; so; like that thus; so; like that; you; thou
trad. (偶爾)		偶	爾
simp. (偶尔)		偶	尔

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): ǒu'ěr

  (Zhuyin): ㄡˇ ㄦˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ngau⁵ ji⁵
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): ngó͘-ní / gió-ní / ngó͘-jíⁿ

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ngou² re²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: ǒu'ěr [Phonetic: óuěr]
    • Zhuyin: ㄡˇ ㄦˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: ǒu-ěr
    • Wade–Giles: ou³-êrh³
    • Yale: ǒu-ěr
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ooueel
    • Palladius: оуэр (ouer)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ˀɤɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ngau⁵ ji⁵
    • Yale: ngáuh yíh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ngau⁵ ji⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: ngeo⁵ yi⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋɐu̯¹³ jiː¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ngó͘-ní
    • Tâi-lô: ngóo-ní
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ngofnie
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ŋɔ̃⁵³⁻⁴⁴ nĩ⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gió-ní
    • Tâi-lô: gió-ní
    • Phofsit Daibuun: gioynie
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ɡio⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ nĩ⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ngó͘-jíⁿ
    • Tâi-lô: ngóo-jínn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: ngofjvie
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ŋɔ̃⁵³⁻⁴⁴ d͡zĩ⁵³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ngou² re²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ngóu jṳ́
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋou⁵²⁻³⁵ d͡zɯ⁵²⁻²¹/

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• Middle Chinese: nguwH nyeX

Rime
Character	偶	爾
Reading #	2/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	疑 (31)	日 (38)
Final (韻)	侯 (137)	支 (11)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	五遘切	兒氏切
Baxter	nguwH	nyeX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ŋəuH/	/ȵiᴇX/
Pan Wuyun	/ŋəuH/	/ȵiɛX/
Shao Rongfen	/ŋəuH/	/ȵʑjɛX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ŋəwH/	/ȵiə̆X/
Li Rong	/ŋuH/	/ȵieX/
Wang Li	/ŋəuH/	/ȵʑǐeX/
Bernard Karlgren	/ŋə̯uH/	/ȵʑie̯X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	òu	ěr
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ngau6	ji5

Adverb

偶爾

1. now and then; from time to time; sometimes

   我偶爾去健身房。 [MSC, trad.]
   我偶尔去健身房。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ ǒu'ěr qù jiànshēnfáng. [Pinyin]

   I go to the gym every now and then.

Synonyms

• 一時／一时 (yīshí)
• 不時／不时 (bùshí)
• 久不久 (jiǔbùjiǔ) (regional)
• 偶而 (ǒu'ér)
• 時不時／时不时 (shíbùshí)
• 時而／时而 (shí'ér)

 

Dialectal synonyms of 有時 (“sometimes; at times; now and then”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		有時, 有時候, 偶爾, 間或
Mandarin	Beijing	晃晃兒
	Taiwan	有時候
	Jinan	有時候
	Xi'an	有時候兒
	Chengdu	久不久, 時不時
	Xuzhou	時早晚兒, 時不早晚兒, 時不時
	Singapore	有時候
Cantonese	Guangzhou	有陣時, 間中, 間或, 耐不耐, 耐唔耐, 耐耐, 耐時, 耐中, 耐唔中, 久時久, 久唔久, 久不久
	Hong Kong	有時, 有陣時, 有時候, 間中, 間唔中, 間唔時, 耐唔耐, 耐耐, 耐不耐, 耐唔時, 久唔久, 久不久, 一時時, 時不時
	Dongguan	耐不耐, 久久
Gan	Nanchang	有時間
	Pingxiang	有時會
Hakka	Meixian	間中, 下把仔, 成下仔
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	有成時, 成時, 成擺, 一半下
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	有成時, 下把仔, 有時節, 成時, 成下仔, 成擺
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	有成時, 成時, 下把, 成下, 成擺, 一半下
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	有成時, 成半下, 成時, 下把, 下把下, 成下, 成擺, 一半下
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	有成時, 成時, 下把, 成下, 成擺, 一半下
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	有時務, 一半下, 一半時務, 一半擺
Southern Min	Xiamen	有時陣, 有當時, 拄陣, 拄時陣
	Quanzhou	有時陣, 拄陣, 拄時陣
	Shishi	有陣
	Zhangzhou	有時陣, 有時仔, 有當時
	Tainan	有當時仔, 有時陣, 拄時陣, 拄著仔, 有時仔 GT, 有時 GT, 罕罕仔 GT
	Singapore (Hokkien)	有當時, 有時陣
	Manila (Hokkien)	有時陣, 有陣仔, 有陣時, 有陣
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	耐耐
Wu	Shanghai	有常時, 有辰光, 常時, 難板, 有常
	Shanghai (Chongming)	有常時, 有辰光
	Hangzhou	有時光
Note	GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified)

Antonyms

• 常常 (chángcháng)

Adjective

偶爾

1. occasional; infrequent; intermittent; irregular

Japanese

Kanji in this term
偶	爾
ぐう Grade: S	じ Jinmeiyō
on’yomi

Etymology

From 偶(ぐう) (gū, “by chance”) + 爾(じ) (ji, “situation”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ぐ​うじ [gúꜜùjì] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɡɯ̟ᵝːʑi]

Adjective

偶(ぐう)爾(じ) • (gūji) ^†-nari

1. by accident; by chance
   • 1911, Inazō Nitobe, 修(しゅう)養(よう) (Shūyō):

     これは自(じ)分(ぶん)の専(せん)門(もん)学(がく)の余(よ)暇(か)に、ただ偶(ぐう)爾(じ)の随(ずい)感(かん)随(ずい)想(そう)を述(の)べたるに過(す)ぎざれば、 […]

     Kore wa jibun no senmongaku no yoka ni, tada gūji no zuikan-zuisō o nobetaru ni sugizareba, […]

     (please add an English translation of this example)

Inflection

Classical conjugation of "偶爾なり" (ナリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	偶爾なら	ぐうじなら	guuzinara
Continuative (連用形)	偶爾に[1] 偶爾なり[2]	ぐうじに ぐうじなり	guuzini guuzinari
Terminal (終止形)	偶爾なり	ぐうじなり	guuzinari
Attributive (連体形)	偶爾なる	ぐうじなる	guuzinaru
Realis (已然形)	偶爾なれ	ぐうじなれ	guuzinare
Imperative (命令形)	偶爾なれ	ぐうじなれ	guuzinare
Key constructions
Negative	偶爾ならず	ぐうじならず	guuzinarazu
Contrasting conjunction	偶爾なれど	ぐうじなれど	guuzinaredo
Causal conjunction	偶爾なれば	ぐうじなれば	guuzinareba
Conditional conjunction	偶爾ならば	ぐうじならば	guuzinaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	偶爾なりき	ぐうじなりき	guuzinariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	偶爾なりけり	ぐうじなりけり	guuzinarikeri
Adverbial	偶爾に	ぐうじに	guuzini
[1]Without auxiliary verb. [2]With auxiliary verb.

Adjective

偶(ぐう)爾(じ) • (gūji) ^†-tari (adnominal 偶(ぐう)爾(じ)とした (gūji to shita) or 偶(ぐう)爾(じ)たる (gūji taru), adverbial 偶(ぐう)爾(じ)と (gūji to) or 偶(ぐう)爾(じ)として (gūji to shite))

1. by accident; by chance

Inflection

Classical conjugation of "偶爾たり" (タリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	偶爾たら	ぐうじたら	guuzitara
Continuative (連用形)	偶爾と[1] 偶爾たり[2]	ぐうじと ぐうじたり	guuzito guuzitari
Terminal (終止形)	偶爾たり	ぐうじたり	guuzitari
Attributive (連体形)	偶爾たる	ぐうじたる	guuzitaru
Realis (已然形)	偶爾たれ	ぐうじたれ	guuzitare
Imperative (命令形)	偶爾たれ	ぐうじたれ	guuzitare
Key constructions
Negative	偶爾たらず	ぐうじたらず	guuzitarazu
Contrasting conjunction	偶爾たれど	ぐうじたれど	guuzitaredo
Causal conjunction	偶爾たれば	ぐうじたれば	guuzitareba
Conditional conjunction	偶爾たらば	ぐうじたらば	guuzitaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	偶爾たりき	ぐうじたりき	guuzitariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	偶爾たりけり	ぐうじたりけり	guuzitarikeri
Adverbial	偶爾と	ぐうじと	guuzito
[1]Without auxiliary verb. [2]With auxiliary verb.