How to say “always” in Chinese
always (short form); total
“Always” in Chinese is 总, zǒng: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
总 is read zǒng. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
At the bottom, 心 — “heart”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “总”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 总. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你怎么总是迟到nǐzěnmezǒngshìchídàoWhy are you always late?
- 我总是感冒，你有什么好方法吗？wǒzǒngshìgǎnmào,nǐyǒushénmehǎofāngfǎmaI'm always catching colds — do you know a good method?
- 最后我来总结一下zuìhòu,wǒláizǒngjiéyíxiàFinally, let me sum up.
- 他的房间总是很整齐tādefángjiānzǒngshìhěnzhěngqíHis room is always tidy.
- 他上班的时候总是系2领带tāshàngbāndeshíhouzǒngshìjìlǐngdàiHe always wears a tie to work.
- 她总是主动帮助新同事。tāzǒngshìzhǔdòngbāngzhùxīntóngshìShe always offers to help new colleagues without being asked.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Often, always, usually”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “always” in Chinese?
“Always” in Chinese is 总, pinyin zǒng.
What does 总 mean?
总 (zǒng) means “always (short form); total”.
How do you write 总?
总 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 总?
总 is read zǒng. Tones: zǒng — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“always” in the lesson “Often, always, usually”
This word is from the topic “Health and wrap-up” of HSK 3. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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