Meaning of 常年
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- all year round
- for years on end
- average year
How to use 常年
常年 usually goes before a verb or describes a situation that lasts all year or for many years, often in written or formal Chinese. It can also mean an average year, as in 常年产量 (average annual output). Example: 这座山上常年有雪。(Zhè zuò shān shàng chángnián yǒu xuě.) There is snow on this mountain all year round.
常 (cháng) means constant or often, and 年 (nián) means year. Put them together and you get something that stays constant through the whole year, or year after year.
Common mistake: Learners often use 常年 like 常常 (chángcháng) to mean often. 常年 means continuously over the year or for years, not frequently, so 我常年去公园 sounds odd when you just mean you often go to the park.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
常 cháng · always · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
年 nián · year · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 常年.
| 非常 | fēicháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 今年 | jīnnián | this year |
| 去年 | qùnián | last year |
| 常常 | chángcháng | frequently; often |
| 明年 | míngnián | next year |
| 半年 | bàn nián | half a year |
| 新年 | xīnnián | New Year |
| 年轻 | niánqīng | young |
| 正常 | zhèngcháng | normal; regular |
| 经常 | jīngcháng | frequently; constantly; regularly; often; day-to-day; everyday; daily |
| 平常 | píngcháng | ordinary; common |
| 少年 | shàonián | early youth; youngster |
Questions about 常年
What does 常年 mean?
常年 (chángnián) means "all year round; for years on end" and is used as a adverb and noun.
How do you write 常年?
常年 is made of 2 characters: 常 (11 strokes), 年 (6 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 常年 an HSK word?
Yes. 常年 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 常年 and 长年 (chángnián)?
Both are pronounced chángnián and both can mean all year round or for years. 长年 stresses a long stretch of years, while 常年 also carries the sense of an average or normal year. In many sentences they are interchangeable.
Can 常年 be used to talk about my own habits?
Yes, if the habit is ongoing for a long time, for example 他常年坚持跑步 (tā chángnián jiānchí pǎobù), he has kept up running for years. It sounds a bit formal, so in casual speech people often say 一直 (yīzhí) or 好多年了 instead.