# Expressing "all along" with "一直"

<SentenceQuiz>

- 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.

</SentenceQuiz>

<TOC>

- Level: [A2](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/A2_grammar_points) / [HSK3](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/HSK3_grammar_points)
- Similar to
  - [Expressing "always" with "总是"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_%22always%22_with_%22zongshi%22) (A2)
  - [Expressing "since the beginning" with "一向"](../B2/一向.md) (B2)
  - [Comparing "不断" and "不停"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Comparing_%22buduan%22_and_%22buting%22) (C1)
  - [Comparing "一直" and "一向"](../C1/一直&一向.md) (C1)
  - [Expressing "again and again" with "一再"](../C1/一再.md) (C1)
- Used for: [Describing actions](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Describing_actions), [Referring to habitual actions](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Referring_to_habitual_actions), [Expressing frequency](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_frequency), [Expressing time and date](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_time_and_date)
- Keywords: [一直](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E4%B8%80%E7%9B%B4)

</TOC>

一直 (yīzhí) literally means "straight." Used as an [adverb](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/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](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/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 "总是"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Always%22_with_%22zongshi%22)
- ["Since the beginning" with "一向"](../B2/一向.md)
- [Comparing "一直" and "一向"](../C1/一直&一向.md)

## Sources and further reading

### Books

- [现代汉语八百词（增订本）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D%EF%BC%88%E5%A2%9E%E8%AE%A2%E6%9C%AC%EF%BC%89) (pp. 610) [ →buy]
- [Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Integrated_Chinese:_Level_2,_Part_1) (pp. 308-9) [Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy](https://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA,)
- [Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级)](<https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Chinese_Grammar_-_Broken_down_into_100_items_-_Basic_and_Intermediate_Levels_(%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%AD%E6%B3%95%E7%99%BE%E9%A1%B9%E8%AE%B2%E7%BB%83_-_%E5%88%9D%E4%B8%AD%E7%BA%A7)>) (pp. 123) [Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy](https://www.amazon.cn/mn/detailApp?_encoding=UTF8&tag=allset-23&linkCode=as2&asin=B001J0ADWA&camp=536&creative=3132&creativeASIN=B001J0ADWA,)

### 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) (p. 1601) [→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)