Expressing "all along" with "yizhi"

一直 (yīzhí) literally means "straight." Used as an adverb, 一直 (yīzhí) can also be used to express that you have been doing something all along, have been continuously doing something since a certain time, or that something will continuously happen in the future.

Structure

This structure expresses the continuous nature of an action or a circumstance.

Subj. + 一直 + Predicate

Also note that although 一直 (yīzhí) means "continuously," it is frequently more natural to use the word "always" in the English translation.

Examples

• 我 一直 在 学习 中文 。 Wǒ yīzhí zài xuéxí Zhōngwén.I've been studying Chinese all along.
• 昨天 晚上 我 一直 在 做作业。 Zuótiān wǎnshang wǒ yīzhí zài zuò zuòyè.Yesterday evening I was continuously doing homework.
• 老板 一直 很 忙 。"Always" is more natural than "continuously." Lǎobǎn yīzhí hěn máng.The boss is always very busy.
• 我 一直 很 喜欢 你。 Wǒ yīzhí hěn xǐhuan nǐ.I've always liked you a lot.
• 爸爸 一直 都 不 抽烟。 Bàba yīzhí dōu bù chōuyān.Dad has never smoked cigarettes.
• 我 男朋友 一直在 中国 教 英文。 Wǒ nánpéngyou yīzhí zài Zhōngguó jiāo Yīngwén.My boyfriend has always been teaching English in China.
• 18 岁 以后 ， 他 一直 一个人 住。 Shíbā suì yǐhòu, tā yīzhí yīgèrén zhù.Since he was 18, he has always lived alone.
• 你 一直 在 这 家 公司 工作 吗？ Nǐ yīzhí zài zhè jiā gōngsī gōngzuò ma? Have you always worked in this company?
• 你们 一直 住 在 一起 吗？ Nǐmen yīzhí zhù zài yīqǐ ma? Have you always been living together?
• 北京 的 空气 一直 很 不 好。 Běijīng de kōngqì yīzhí hěn bù hǎo.The air in Beijing has been bad for a while.

See also

• "Always" with "zongshi"
• "Since the beginning" with "yixiang"
• Comparing "yizhi" and "yixiang"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 610) [ →buy]
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 308-9) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 123) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 1601) →buy

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