老是

The Chinese word 老是 (lǎo shì) is a commonly used adverbial phrase that means "always" or "constantly". It is composed of two characters: 老 (lǎo), which means "old" or "elderly", and 是 (shì), which is a verb meaning "to be" or "to exist". Together, these two characters form a compound word that literally means "always being old" or "constantly existing". This meaning is derived from the idea that something that is old or has existed for a long time is likely to continue to exist or happen in the future.The word 老是 can be used in a variety of contexts to express the idea of "always" or "constantly". For example, it can be used to describe a person's habits or behaviors, such as 老是迟到 (lǎo shì chídào, "always late") or 老是抱怨 (lǎo shì bàoyuàn, "always complaining"). It can also be used to describe situations or events that happen frequently or repeatedly, such as 老是下雨 (lǎo shì xiàyǔ, "always raining") or 老是堵车 (lǎo shì dǔchē, "always traffic jams").In addition to its literal meaning of "always" or "constantly", the word 老是 can also be used in a more figurative sense to express the idea of "often" or "frequently". For example, it can be used to describe something that happens on a regular basis, such as 老是去公园 (lǎo shì qù gōngyuán, "often go to the park") or 老是看电影 (lǎo shì kàn diànyǐng, "often watch movies").Overall, the word 老是 is a versatile adverbial phrase that can be used to express a variety of meanings related to the idea of "always", "constantly", "often", or "frequently". It is a useful word to know for HSK learners as it is commonly used in everyday speech and writing.