Habitual actions are actions that occur regularly. The following time expressions and adverbs are used to express habitual actions in Chinese.
Time expressions that indicate habitual action include the word 每 měi ‘every/each.’ As with other expressions that indicate the time when an action occurs, these expressions occur right after the subject, at the beginning of the predicate. Commonly used time expressions include:
| 每个小时/每個小時 | měi gè xiǎoshí | every hour |
| 每个钟头/每個鐘頭 | měi gè zhōngtóu | every hour |
| 每天 | měitiān | every day |
| 每天晚上 | měitiān wǎnshang | every evening |
| 每个礼拜/每個禮拜 | měi gè lǐbài | every week |
| 每个星期/每個星期 | měi gè xīngqī | every week |
| 每个月/每個月 | měi gè yuè | every month |
| 每年 | měi nián | every year |
The adverb 都 dōu may also occur with these expressions, right before the verb or, if there is a prepositional phrase, right before the prepositional phrase.
我每天八点半都去上班。
我每天八點半都去上班。
Wǒ měitiān bādiǎn bàn dōu qù shàng bān.
I go to work every day at 8:30.
她每个星期都回家看父母一次。
她每個星期都回家看父母一次。
Tā měi gè xīngqī dōu huí jiā kàn fùmǔ yīcì.
She goes home once every week to see her parents.
我每个月都跟朋友去看电影。
我每個月都跟朋友去看電影。
Wǒ měi gè yuè dōu gēn péngyou qù kàn diànyǐng.
Every month I go with my friends to see a movie.
天 tiān and 年 nián may also occur in the following phrases to indicate habitual action.
| 天天 | tiāntiān | every day |
| 年年 | niánnián | every year |
大学生天天都很忙。
大學生天天都很忙。
Dàxuéshēng tiāntiān dōu hěn máng.
University students are busy every day.
Adverbs that describe habitual action include:常常 chángcháng ‘often’
我们常常去网吧上网。
我們常常去網吧上網。
Wǒmen chángcháng qù wǎngbā shàng wǎng.
We frequently go to an internet café to surf the web.
平常 píngcháng ‘ordinarily, usually’
学生平常在周末跟朋友玩儿。
學生平常在週末跟朋友玩兒。
Xuésheng píngcháng zài zhōumò gēn péngyou wár.
Students often have fun with their friends on the weekend.
经常/經常 jīngcháng ‘usually, often’
弟弟经常上课迟到。
弟弟經常上課遲到。
Dìdi jīngcháng shàng kè chídào.
My younger brother is often late for class.
时常/時常 shícháng ‘regularly’
你得时常运动运动，锻链身体。
你得時常運動運動，鍛鍊身體。
Nǐ děi shícháng yùndòng yùndòng, duànliàn shēntǐ.
You should exercise regularly and strengthen your body.
总/總 zǒng ‘always’
她总跟男朋友在一起，不愿意一个人出去。
她總跟男朋友在一起，不願意一個人出去。
Tā zǒng gēn nán péngyou zài yīqǐ, bù yuànyi yī gè rén chūqu.
She’s always with her boyfriend; (she’s) not willing to go out by herself.
总是/總是 zǒngshì ‘always’
他真是好人，总是帮助朋友。
他真是好人，總是幫助朋友。
Tā zhēn shì hǎo rén, zǒngshì bāngzhù péngyou.
He really is a good person; (he) always helps his friends.
都 dōu ‘all/always’
我每天都看报。
我每天都看報。
Wǒ měitiān dōu kàn bào.
I read the news every day.
老 lǎo ‘always’
我不要老待在家。
Wǒ bù yào lǎo dāi zài jiā.
I don’t want to always stay home.
向来/向來 xiàngl ái ‘always in the past’
他向来都听父母的话。
他向來都聽父母的話。
Tā xiànglái dōu tīng fùmǔ de huà.
He always listened to his parents.
一向 yīxiàng ‘always in the past’
他一向很可靠。我们一定可以信任他。
他一向很可靠。我們一定可以信任他。
Tā yīxiàng hěn kěkào. Wǒmen yīdìng kéyǐ xìnrèn tā.
He has always been very reliable. We can certainly trust him.
NOTE
向来/向來 xiànglái and 从来/從來 cónglái are opposites.
• 向来/向來 xiànglái is used to indicate that an action habitually occurred in the past.
• 从来/從來 cónglái indicates that an action does not happen or has not happened.
从来/從來 cónglái always occurs with negation:
从来/從來 cónglái + 不 bù indicates that an action never occurs.
从来/從來 cónglái + 没 méi indicates that an action has never occurred in the past.
他从来不喝酒。
他從來不喝酒。
Tā cónglái bù hē jiǔ.
He never drinks alcohol.
我从来没给他打过电话。
我從來没給他打過電話。
Wǒ cónglái méi gěi tā dǎguo diànhuà.
I have never called him on the phone before.
► 27.3.1