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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"]("Always"with"zongshi" "wikilink")
- ["Since the beginning" with "yixiang"]("Since_the_beginning"with"yixiang" "wikilink")
- Comparing "yizhi" and "yixiang"
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