老是

lǎo shi

HSK 3.0 Level 4 Adverb Common

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Definitions

1. always

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Word relationships

Antonyms

2 items

• 经常 jīng cháng 经常 jīng cháng frequently; constantly; regularly; often 经常 means 'often', implying frequency but not constancy, opposite of always: frequently; constantly; regularly; often
• 从不 cóng bù 从不 cóng bù 从不 means 'never', direct opposite of always: 从不 means 'never', direct opposite of always

Related words

1 item

• 常常 cháng cháng 常常 cháng cháng frequently 常常 also means 'often', similar to 经常 but slightly more formal: frequently

Synonyms

1 item

• 总是 zǒng shì 总是 zǒng shì always usually interchangeable, but 总是 can also mean 'eventually' or 'after all': always

Usage notes

Collocations

老是 is often used to express annoyance or habitualness, more subjective than 总是.

Common mistakes

Unlike 总是, 老是 cannot be used in sentences about unchanging truths or future certainties.

Example Sentences

3 shown

他 老是 迟到。

He is always late.

這兒 老是 這麼冷嗎？

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 10266785)

你 老是 犯錯。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 686895)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 老是

• 是 是 shì: to be (followed by substantives only)
• 老 老 lǎo: prefix used before the surname of a person or a numeral indicating the order of birth of the children in a family or to indicate affection or familiarity