Comparing "changchang" and "jingchang"
Both 常常 (chángcháng) and 经常 (jīngcháng) are used to mean "often" or "frequently." In most circumstances, 常常 (chángcháng) and 经常 (jīngcháng) can be used interchangeably. Both can be used in formal and informal settings, although 经常 (jīngcháng) is more common in spoken Chinese.
| 常常 (chángcháng) | 经常 (jīngcháng) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | often, frequently | often, frequently |
| Part of Speech | adverb | adverb (mostly) |
| Formality | flexible | flexible |
Contents
常常 (chángcháng) and 经常 (jīngcháng) are generally interchangeable
In the following sentences, it is fine to use either 常常 or 经常.
- 我 经常 坐 地铁 去 上班 。I often take the metro to work.
- 同事 对 我 很 好 ，经常 帮 我 。My colleagues are very nice to me and help me a lot.
- 我 经常 去 这家 餐厅 吃饭 。I often go to this restaurant to eat.
- 我 最近 常常 练习 说 中文 。I have been practising speaking Chinese a lot recently.
- 我 经常 早上 六 点 起床 。I often get up at 6am.
- 周末 我 经常 去 那家 饭店 吃饭。I often go to that restaurant for dinner on weekends.
- 我 常常 加班 。I work overtime a lot.
- 我 经常 去 出差 。I often go on business trips.
- 我 经常 用 微信 和 朋友 视频。I often use WeChat to video with my friends.
- 周末 我 常常 跟 朋友 聊天 。I often chat with my friends on weekends.
- 飞机 经常 晚点 。Flights are often late.
- 我 和 女朋友 常常 去 公园 散步 。My girlfriend and I often go for walks in the park.
You can negate both 常常 (chángcháng) and 经常 (jīngcháng) with 不常 (bù cháng)
This is something that's a bit special about both words: when you add 不 to make them negative, you can also drop the first character, resulting in 不常 (bù cháng) for either one.
- 我 不常 坐 地铁 去 上班 。I don't often take the metro to work.
- 我 喜欢 自己 做饭 ，所以 我 不常 叫 外卖 。I like to cook for myself, so I don't often order takeout.
- 我们 的 销售 经理 经常 出差 ，我们 在 公司 不常 看到 他 。Our sales manager travels a lot and we don't see him at work very often.
Advanced Differences
经常 is an adjective as well as an adverb, therefore it can be used differently than 常常. For more details on the use of 经常 and a grammar-based comparison of 常常 and 经常 please click here to visit our Grammar Wiki page: Grammar Wiki comparing “changchang” and “jingchang”
Sources and further reading
Books
《现代汉语八百词》
