总是

Character by character

• 总zǒng9 strokesHSK 3 traditional 總collect; overall, altogether
• 是shì9 strokesHSK 1indeed, yes, right; to be; demonstrative pronoun, this, that

Each character links to its stroke order page with a tracing and a writing exercise.

Example sentences

• 他总是在笑。

  Tā zǒng shì zài xiào

  He is always laughing.

  Listen

• 他总是在线。

  Tā zǒng shì zài xiàn

  He is always online.

  Listen

• 我总是有事。

  Wǒ zǒng shì yǒu shì

  I'm busy all the time.

  Listen

• 他总是在笑着。

  Tā zǒng shì zài xiào zhe

  He's always laughing.

  Listen

Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR), contributed by their community.

Words with the same characters

These words share at least one character with 总是. Reading them together is how the character starts to stick — the same characters in a different context.

• 是shìHSK 1

  to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion)

• 就是jiù shìHSK 3

  exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也) even; even if

• 但是dàn shìHSK 2

  but; however

• 还是hái shiHSK 1

  still (as before); had better; unexpectedly; or

• 只是zhǐ shìHSK 3

  merely; only; just; nothing but; simply; but; however

• 总zǒngHSK 3

  general; overall; to sum up; in every case; always; invariably; anyway; after all; eventually; sooner or later; surely; (after a person's name) abbr. for 总经理 or 总编 etc

• 可是kě shìHSK 2

  but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed

• 是否shì fǒuHSK 4

  whether (or not); if; is or isn't

• 总统zǒng tǒngHSK 4

  president (of a country)

• 而是ér shìHSK 4

  rather

• 于是yú shìHSK 4

  thereupon; as a result; consequently; thus; hence

• 正是zhèng shìHSK 2

  is precisely

• 要是yào shiHSK 3

  (coll.) if

• 算是suàn shìHSK 6

  considered to be; at last

• 或是huò shìHSK 5

  or; either one or the other

• 是不是shì bù shìHSK 1

  is or isn't; yes or no; whether or not

• 也就是说yě jiù shì shuōHSK 7

  in other words; that is to say; so; thus

• 总之zǒng zhīHSK 4

  in a word; in short; in brief

• 总部zǒng bùHSK 6

  general headquarters

• 总裁zǒng cáiHSK 5

  chairman; director-general (of a company etc)

• 倒是dào shiHSK 5

  contrary to what one might expect; actually; contrariwise; why don't you

• 总结zǒng jiéHSK 3

  to sum up; to conclude; summary; résumé

• 总算zǒng suànHSK 5

  at long last; finally; on the whole

• 总理zǒng lǐHSK 4

  premier; prime minister