Comparing "changchang" and "wangwang"

If something happens a lot,we say that it is "often",which in Chinese, the words are "常常" (chángcháng) and "往往" (wǎngwǎng). However, they are used in different ways and different places, so this article will help you distinguish when and where to use them.

肯定形式

"常常" simply means something happens frequently and it's not necessarily regularly.

Subject + 常常 + Verb

Examples

• 他 常常 迟到。He often gets late.
• 小时候，我 常常 去 奶奶 家 过年。When I was young,I used to spend the Chinese New Year at my grandma's place.
• 我 的 老板 常常带 我 去 出差。My boss often take me on business trips.
• 他们 结婚 已经 快 三十 年 了，还是常常 吵架。They've been married for almost 30 years while they still fight a lot.
• 尽管 他 已经 在 美国 生活 了 大半辈子，但 还是会常常想中国。Although he's spent most of his lifetime in the USA,he still misses China a lot.

表示有规律性的现象或者推断时，"常常"和“往往”都可以用，但是用“往往“必须说明规律发生的前提条件，用”常常“则可说可不说。

Subject + 常常 + Verb

Examples

• 飞机常常晚点。The flights often get postponed.
• 天气 不 好 的 时候，飞机常常/往往晚点。The flights often get postponed when the weather is bad.
• 他常常 去 健身。He works out a lot.
• 他常常 /往往周末 去 健身。He often works out on weekends.
• 他常常很 害羞。He easily gets shy.
• 他常常/往往一 见到 他 喜欢 的 女生 就 很 害羞。He easily gets shy every time he saw girls he likes.

“常常”可以表示说话人对将来的一些想法或者愿望 ，而“往往”不能。

Examples

• 我希望以后咱们可以常常见面。I hope that we could meet more often.
• 就算分手了，我们还是可以常常联系。Even though we are breaking up, we could still call from time to time.
• 回美国以后，你要常常 给 我 写 信。You should often email me after you go back to the states.
• 等 我 的 工作 不 那么 忙 了，我 就 可以常常陪 孩子 玩 了。I'll be able to spend more time with my kids when I'm not that busy at work.
• 我 爸爸 说，他 退休 以后 会常常带 妈妈 去旅行。My father said that he would travel more with my mother after he retires.

“常常”还可以用于祈使句，多表示建议，主语若是第二人称，一般可省略。“往往”不能这样用。

(Subject)要/得/应该/不要/别 + 常常 + Verb

Examples

• 我知道你很忙，但 你还是 要常常回家 看看 爸妈。I know that you've been busy but you still need to see your parents from time to time.
• 不要常常吃 辣，对 皮肤 不好。Better not eat spicy food too often.It's not good for your skin.
• 你 能 不 能 不要常常说 脏 话?Would you please stop saying swear words so much?
• 偶尔 抱怨 一下 是 可以 的，但 不要 常常 抱怨。It's totally fine to make some complain about your life once in a while but it's not if you do it everyday.
• 作为 老板，你得常常跟 你的 员工 去 沟通，倾听 他们 的 声音。As a boss,you need to talk to your staff a lot so their voice could be heard.

常常”在肯定句中经常可以省略为“常”，但“往往”不能省略。

Examples

• 有 时间 就常回家 看看。
• 有空常来 家里 玩。Come visit our home more if you're not busy.
• 我 上 大学 的时候常去 图书馆。I often went to the library when I was in college
• 她 过去常去 这 家 店 做 头发。She used to do her hair in this shop.
• 我的中学语文老师常说，失败乃成功之母。My Chinese teacher from high school used to say that failure is the mother of success.

否定形式

“常常”的否定形式是“不常”，表示“很少”。“往往”没有否定形式“不往往”，但是“往往”也可以出现在否定句中，常见的是“往往不/没”。

Subject + 不常 + Verb

Examples

• 他不常 去健身。He doesn't work out a lot.
• 我不常 在 外面 吃饭。I don't go out for dinner a lot.
• 我 爸妈 不常用 微信。My parents don't spend a lot of time on Wechat.
• 我 老板 很 懒，不常 来公司。My boss is a lazy person and he doesn't come to the office a lot.
• 尽管 我们 是 很好 的 朋友，但 我们不常见面。Although we're good friends,we don't see each other a lot.

Subject + 往往 +不/没+ Verb

Examples

• 他早上往往 不吃早饭就去上班了。He often goes to work without breakfast.
• 有钱人往往 都 不是 很 幸福。People who's got lots of money are usually not very happy.
• 学历太高的女生往往没有男人敢要。Men,generally,are not really interested in girls with a very high education.
• 名牌的东西往往 都不便宜。Those brand-name stuff are usually very expensive.
• 人往往不知道珍惜自己现在拥有的东西。People are usually not aware that you should cherish more about what you've been given.

疑问句

疑问句中一般用“常”或者“常常”，几乎不用“往往”。

Examples

• 你们常常 来这家店吃火锅吗？Do you guys come here a lot for hotpot?
• 你常 去 附近 的 公园 散步 吗？Do you often take a walk in the park nearby?
• 为什么 春秋航空 的 飞机常常晚点？Why exactly do the flights of Spring Airline often get late?
• 你现在 工作 没有 以前 那么 忙了，还不常跟 朋友 出去 玩玩？Why not hang out more with your friends since you don't work that much as you did before?
• 他们不是会员，怎么可能常常得到这么高的折扣？How possibly could they get such a big discount without a membership?