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一来二去

yī lái èr qù

through repeated contact; bit by bit

Character by character

一yī
one
来lái
come
二èr
two
去qù
go

Example

两个人天天一起上下班,一来二去就熟了。
Commuting together every day, the two of them gradually became close.

Tone: neutral.

Usage and origin

Colloquial, and explains how a friendship, romance or habit grew over time.

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