一来二去
yī lái èr qù
through repeated contact; bit by bit
Character by character
一yī
one
one
来lái
come
come
二èr
two
two
去qù
go
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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