Comparing "changchang" and "jingchang"

Both 常常 (chángcháng) and 经常 (jīngcháng) express similar concepts, though using them properly requires attention to some small details.

Used as an Adverb

常常 and 经常 both can be used to express frequency, meaning "often," and that the time between each time it happens is very short. In this case, they are interchangeable.

Structure

常常 / 经常 + Verb

Examples

• 我 常常 收到 垃圾 短信 。Wǒ chángcháng shōudào lājī duǎnxìn.I often receive junk messages.
• 你们 经常 加班 吗 ？Nǐmen jīngcháng jiābān ma?Do you often work late?
• 他们 常常 吵架 。Tāmen chángcháng chǎojià.They often fight.
• 他 经常 不 吃 早 饭。Tā jīngcháng bù chī zǎo fàn.He often skips breakfast.

经常 can also be used in actions in the future. You cannot do this with 常常。

Structure

经常 + Verb

Examples

• 你 要 经常 运动 。You need to exercise often.
• 这个项目 做完 以后， 我 会 经常 陪 你 。Once this project is done, then I can go with you more often.

Used as an Adjective

经常 can also be used an adjective referring to things that happens very frequently. You can't use 常常 this way.

Structure

经常 + 的 + Noun

Examples

• 她 忘 带 钥匙 是 经常 的 事情 。Her forgetting to bring a key is a frequent occurrence.
• 经常 的 。Her forgetting to bring a key is a frequent occurrence.
• 对 我们 来 说 ，处理 顾客 的 投诉 是经常性 工作。Dealing with customers' complaints is a common job for us.

Negative Form

经常 and 常常 can share the same negative form 不常. For 经常, you can also simply use 不经常 to negate.

Examples

• 我 不 经常 看 电视 。I don't watch television very often.
• 他 不 常 抽烟 。He doesn't smoke very often.
• 我 妈妈 不 常 网购 。My mother doesn't do online shopping often.

See also

• Comparing "pingshi" and "pingchang"