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一向 (yī xiàng) — always, consistently (of a habit, tendency, or characteristic up to the present)

Definition

一向 means 'always, consistently' for a habit or trait up to now — gentler and more about long-standing tendency than 一直 (continuous, no break). Close to 向来/历来; less literary than 历来.

adverb
alwaysconsistently (of a habit, tendency, or characteristic up to the present)

Examples

  • 一向。
    Wǒ yī xiàng xǐ huan hē lǜ chá.
    I have always liked drinking green tea.
  • 一向。
    Tā yī xiàng duì gōng zuò fēi cháng rèn zhēn.
    She has always been very serious about her work.
  • 一向。
    Zhè lǐ de tiān qì yī xiàng hěn nuǎn huo.
    The weather here has always been warm.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

一yīone
向xiàngdirection

一 and 向 make 'one direction', giving always or consistently.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

向 originally drew 宀 (house) with 口 to show an echo in a place; later it was used for direction.

Open 向 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6HSK 2.0 Level 6Frequency & Duration5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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