周而复始
zhōu ér fù shǐ
round and round; to go through the same cycle again and again
Character by character
周zhōu
circle
circle
而ér
and
and
复fù
again
again
始shǐ
begin
begin
Example
春种秋收，周而复始，村里的老人在这片地上种了一辈子庄稼。
Sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn, round and round, the old people of the village have farmed this land all their lives.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Used of seasons, the sun and moon and other natural cycles, and of routines that repeat endlessly; with work it often sounds weary (周而复始地重复同一个动作). Written and fairly formal.
Learn this in Lesson 181 · HSK 7–9: 流水线上 (On the assembly line)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
Open the lesson →