always in Chinese
zǒng shì ·always; all the time ·18 strokes HSK 3
always in Chinese is 总是, pronounced zǒng shì.
How to write 总是
Animated stroke order. Tap a character to replay its stroke order.
Stroke order of 总
Stroke order of 是
HSK level
HSK 3总是 is listed in the official HSK vocabulary at HSK 3. An intermediate band: enough vocabulary for everyday conversation and travel.
总是 in a sentence
-
他 总 是 很 早 起 床 。He always gets up early.
-
她 总 是 帮 助 别 人 。She always helps others.
-
这 条 路 总 是 很 堵 。This road is always jammed.
总是 vs 一直 vs 经常
Similar and easily confused words, and how they differ.
-
一直 yì zhí all along; continuously
一直 = continuously through a stretch — 一直下雨 'it rained the whole time'. 总是 = 'every single time', often with a complaining tone — 他总是迟到.
-
经常 jīng cháng often
Frequency, not constancy: 经常 'often' leaves room for exceptions; 总是 'always' doesn't.