Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
常常、经常、往往 and 一直
Original Chinese study material with English explanations. Simplified Chinese with pinyin; beginner, intermediate and advanced are editorial difficulty labels.
常常 (chángcháng) and 经常 (jīngcháng) commonly describe frequency. 往往 (wǎngwǎng) describes what tends to happen under recurring conditions. 一直 (yìzhí) describes continuity.
我经常去图书馆。
Wǒ jīngcháng qù túshūguǎn.
I often go to the library.
下雨时，这条路往往很堵。
Xià yǔ shí, zhè tiáo lù wǎngwǎng hěn dǔ.
When it rains, this road tends to be congested.
总是 and 老是 can mean always; 老是 often carries a complaining tone. 一直 does not simply mean often.
Try it
Which most directly describes a continuous action?
- 一直在等
- 常常去
- 偶尔看
Answer and explanation
一直在等. 一直在等 means having been waiting continuously.