Expressing "all along" with "yizhi"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
一直 (yīzhí) literally translates to "one straight." 一直 (yīzhí) can be used to express that you are doing something continuously, have been continuously doing something since a certain time, and something will continuously happen in the future.
Structure
This structure expresses the continuation 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
- 老板 一直 很 忙 。("Always" is more natural than "continuously.") The boss is always very busy.
- 北京 的 空气 一直 很 不 好。 The air in Beijing has been bad for a while.
- 她 一直 很 喜欢 上海。 She has always liked Shanghai a lot.
- 爸爸 一直 很 爱 妈妈。 Dad has always loved mom a lot!
- 你 会 一直 学 中文 吗? Will you always continue studying Chinese?
- 我 男朋友 一直在 中国 做 英文 老师 。 My boyfriend's always been a teacher in China.
- 昨天 晚上 从 七点 到 十点 , 我 一直 在 做作业。 From 7pm to 10pm yesterday, I was continuously doing homework.
- 18 岁 以后 , 他 一直 一个人 住。 Since he was 18, he has always lived alone.
- 我 一直 在 现在 的 公司 里 工作。 I've always worked at the company I work at now.
- 从 这里 一直 走 , 你 会 看 到 一 个 大 公园。 From here keep walking straight, you will see a big park.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- 现代汉语八百词(增订本) (p. 610) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 308-9) →buy
- Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (p. 123) →buy
Dictionaries
- 现代汉语词典(第5版) (p. 1601) →buy