# Expressing "always previously" with "向来"

<SentenceQuiz>

- 我 父母 _向来_ 不 喜欢 我 跟 你们 一起 出去 玩儿。
  - My parents have always disliked me going out to play with you guys.
- 我 _向来_ 努力，所以 我 每 一 次 考试 都 得 满分。
  - I have always pushed myself, so every time I take a test, I always get full marks.
- 那个 足球 队员 _一向_ 被 称为 “金脚”，因为 他 踢 足球 踢 得 非常 好。
  - That soccer player is known as "Goldfoot" because he plays soccer really well.

</SentenceQuiz>

<TOC>

- Level: [C1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/C1_grammar_points) / [HSK6](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/HSK6_grammar_points)
- Similar to
  - [Expressing "never" with "从来"](../A2/从来.md) (A2)
  - [Expressing "always" with "从来"](../B1/从来.md) (B1)
- Used for: [Referring to the past](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Referring_to_the_past), [Expressing frequency](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_frequency)
- Keywords: [一向](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%80%E5%90%91), [向来](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%90%91%E6%9D%A5)

</TOC>

向来 (xiànglái) is pretty much the [same as 从来](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Never%22_with_%22conglai%22), except that 从来 is almost always used with negation (sentences with 不 or 没).

## Structure

向来 is used the same structure as 从来.You can use an optional 都 after the 向来.The basic meaning of 向来 is that something is always like that until the present. [一向](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Since_the_beginning%22_with_%22yixiang%22) has the same meaning and structure as 向来。

Subject + 向来（都） + Verb/Verb Phrase

## Examples

- 我 父母 _向来_ 不 喜欢 我 跟 你们 一起 出去 玩儿。
  - My parents have always disliked me going out to play with you guys.
- 我 _向来_ 努力，所以 我 每 一 次 考试 都 得 满分。
  - I have always pushed myself, so every time I take a test, I always get full marks.
- 那个 足球 队员 _一向_ 被 称为 “金脚”，因为 他 踢 足球 踢 得 非常 好。
  - That soccer player is known as "Goldfoot" because he plays soccer really well.

## See also

- ["Never" with "从来"](../A2/从来.md)
- ["Always" with "从来"](../B1/从来.md)

## Sources and further reading

### Dictionaries

- [现代汉语词典（第5版）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8%EF%BC%88%E7%AC%AC5%E7%89%88%EF%BC%89) (pp. 1489) [→buy](https://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8/dp/B001B1RZCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345693609&sr=8-1)