<blockquote>
<p>老王这个人哪，一会儿明白，一会儿糊涂。</p>
<p>晚会上，大家一会儿唱歌，一会儿跳舞，玩儿得很开心。</p>
<p>他一会儿嫌时间过得慢，一会儿又感到他跑得太快了。</p>
<p>王大妈一会儿摇头，一会儿叹气，不知是什么事使得老人如此发怒。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>一会儿 connotes that they switch between two/more things  frequently. Well, 有时候 sounds like you do something for some time, and then you do something else for some time. 一会儿 implies that one can easily distract from one thing to another, while 有时候 doesn't have that implication and it just states the fact that you do something for some time and then do some other things for some time. 一会儿 could be emotional and 有时候 is just being neutral.</p>
<p>I think you could replace 一会儿 with 有时候 in above sentences, but that will lose some connotation or effectiveness.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-28T05:08:31.247Z
2018-04-28T05:08:31.247Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
dan
<p>No, they cannot. <strong>一會兒</strong> has two meanings:</p>

<ul>
<li>Expressing that an action will be done soon. E.g. <strong>我一會兒去圖書館</strong>, <code>I will go to the library in a short while</code>.</li>
<li><em>Sometimes</em>, but in the sense of someone being unable to make up their mind about something, or about a lively/chaotic situation which can't be described clearly, as in your examples given in the question.</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>有時候</strong> cannot be used in your examples. The meaning <em>sometimes</em> for <strong>有時候</strong> is more in the sense of <em>occasionally</em> rather than your examples. Compare the following two:</p>

<ul>
<li><strong>他有時候打籃球，有時候踢足球</strong> (<code>He plays basketball and soccer</code>, literally <code>He sometimes plays basketball and sometimes plays soccer</code>, typical sentence which describes someone's <strong>varied</strong> weekly activities)</li>
<li><strong>他一會兒打籃球，一會兒踢足球</strong> (figuratively <code>He plays basketball one week, and goes and plays soccer the next</code>; but still literally <code>He sometimes plays basketball and sometimes plays soccer</code>, typical sentence which describes someone (1) being unable to commit to an activity, or (2) being extremely busy and not stopping to take a break)</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-29T07:14:48.400Z
Thanks for the answer. Sorry for the confusion but my question is about the latter part, which is used in the form of 一会儿～一会儿.
Blaszard
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-28T03:39:33.287Z
2018-04-28T05:14:27.413Z
2018-04-28T05:14:27.413Z
dROOOze
<p>有时候 and 一会儿 seem to be close in meaning, and in the following example sentences:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>老王这个人哪，一会儿明白，一会儿糊涂。</p>
<p>晚会上，大家一会儿唱歌，一会儿跳舞，玩儿得很开心。</p>
<p>他一会儿嫌时间过得慢，一会儿又感到他跑得太快了。</p>
<p>王大妈一会儿摇头，一会儿叹气，不知是什么事使得老人如此发怒。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In all the example sentences above, I feel like 一会儿 can be replaced with 有时候.</p>
<p>So, is my understanding that 一会儿 can be replaced with 有时候 correct? If not, how should I classify them according to their rules?</p>
<hr />
<h3>EDIT</h3>
<p>Sorry if it might lead to confusion, but my question here is the comparison of <code>一会儿～一会儿</code> and <code>有时候～有时候</code>, not including the case they are used alone.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-28T07:24:32.313Z
一会儿 used after a verb functions as verbal measure as in 你休息一会儿吧，请你梢微等一会儿，bkrs：过了一会儿 after a while
歇一会儿 rest for a while 我们要离开一会儿。 We are off for a while.
我待了短短一会儿。 I stayed for a short while.多聊一会儿，再忍一会儿，眯一会儿眼
user6065
<word-choice>
Can 一会儿～一会儿 be replaced with 有时候～有时候?
# Can 一会儿～一会儿 be replaced with 有时候～有时候?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-28)

有时候 and 一会儿 seem to be close in meaning, and in the following example sentences:

> 老王这个人哪，一会儿明白，一会儿糊涂。
>
> 晚会上，大家一会儿唱歌，一会儿跳舞，玩儿得很开心。
>
> 他一会儿嫌时间过得慢，一会儿又感到他跑得太快了。
>
> 王大妈一会儿摇头，一会儿叹气，不知是什么事使得老人如此发怒。

In all the example sentences above, I feel like 一会儿 can be replaced with 有时候.

So, is my understanding that 一会儿 can be replaced with 有时候 correct? If not, how should I classify them according to their rules?

---

### EDIT

Sorry if it might lead to confusion, but my question here is the comparison of `一会儿～一会儿` and `有时候～有时候`, not including the case they are used alone.

**Tags:** word-choice

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 一会儿 used after a verb functions as verbal measure as in 你休息一会儿吧，请你梢微等一会儿，bkrs：过了一会儿 after a while 歇一会儿 rest for a while 我们要离开一会儿。 We are off for a while. 我待了短短一会儿。 I stayed for a short while.多聊一会儿，再忍一会儿，眯一会儿眼  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-04-28. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

No, they cannot. **一會兒** has two meanings:

* Expressing that an action will be done soon. E.g. **我一會兒去圖書館**, `I will go to the library in a short while`.
* *Sometimes*, but in the sense of someone being unable to make up their mind about something, or about a lively/chaotic situation which can't be described clearly, as in your examples given in the question.

**有時候** cannot be used in your examples. The meaning *sometimes* for **有時候** is more in the sense of *occasionally* rather than your examples. Compare the following two:

* **他有時候打籃球，有時候踢足球** (`He plays basketball and soccer`, literally `He sometimes plays basketball and sometimes plays soccer`, typical sentence which describes someone's **varied** weekly activities)
* **他一會兒打籃球，一會兒踢足球** (figuratively `He plays basketball one week, and goes and plays soccer the next`; but still literally `He sometimes plays basketball and sometimes plays soccer`, typical sentence which describes someone (1) being unable to commit to an activity, or (2) being extremely busy and not stopping to take a break)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for the answer. Sorry for the confusion but my question is about the latter part, which is used in the form of 一会儿～一会儿.  

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### Answer by username_2 on 2018-04-28. Score: 1

> 老王这个人哪，一会儿明白，一会儿糊涂。
>
> 晚会上，大家一会儿唱歌，一会儿跳舞，玩儿得很开心。
>
> 他一会儿嫌时间过得慢，一会儿又感到他跑得太快了。
>
> 王大妈一会儿摇头，一会儿叹气，不知是什么事使得老人如此发怒。

一会儿 connotes that they switch between two/more things frequently. Well, 有时候 sounds like you do something for some time, and then you do something else for some time. 一会儿 implies that one can easily distract from one thing to another, while 有时候 doesn't have that implication and it just states the fact that you do something for some time and then do some other things for some time. 一会儿 could be emotional and 有时候 is just being neutral.

I think you could replace 一会儿 with 有时候 in above sentences, but that will lose some connotation or effectiveness.


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