yí guàn
from beginning to end; consistent; persistent
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他一贯很守时。
tā yīguàn hěn shǒushí.
He is always punctual.
她一贯很节俭。
tā yīguàn hěn jiéjiǎn.
She is always thrifty.
他们一贯很友好。
tāmen yīguàn hěn yǒuhǎo.
They are always friendly.
时常 (shícháng)
often
偶尔 (ǒu'ěr)
occasionally
The Chinese character 一贯 (yīguàn) is composed of two parts: 一 (yī), meaning "one", and 贯 (guàn), meaning "string of coins". The original meaning of 一贯 is "a string of one thousand coins", which was a unit of currency in ancient China. In modern Chinese, 一贯 is used to mean "consistent" or "uniform". For example, 一贯的作风 (yīguàn de zuòfēng) means "consistent style".The etymology of 一贯 can be traced back to the Warring States period (475-221 BC). During this time, there were many different currencies in circulation, and the value of each currency varied from region to region. In order to facilitate trade, merchants began to use strings of coins as a form of currency. A string of one thousand coins was called 一贯, and it was the most common unit of currency in China at the time.The use of 一贯 as a unit of currency continued until the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). In 1935, the Chinese government introduced the new Chinese yuan, and 一贯 was no longer used as a currency. However, the character 一贯 is still used in modern Chinese to mean "consistent" or "uniform".
