while; during; in the state of
A conjunction meaning 'while' or 'in the state of', often used in literary or formal contexts. Indicates that an action or state continues alongside another.
He had outstanding talent from birth.
You can read news from around the world while staying at home.
Derived from the classical Japanese conjunction ながら (while), with the particle に added for adverbial use. The kanji 乍 is an ateji, and the word is now predominantly written in kana.