Meaning of 往往
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- usually
- in many cases
- more often than not
How to use 往往
往往 describes a pattern drawn from experience, often with a condition in the sentence, and it comes before the verb. Example: 周末他往往起得很晚。(Zhōumò tā wǎngwǎng qǐ de hěn wǎn.) On weekends he usually gets up late.
往 (wǎng) means to go toward. Doubling it, 往往, suggests going the same way again and again, so things "usually" turn out that way.
Common mistake: Learners often swap 往往 with 常常 (chángcháng). 往往 states a regular tendency under certain conditions and does not work for future plans or wishes, so say 我以后会常常来, not 我以后会往往来.
往往 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
往 wǎng · to go · 8 strokes
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往 wǎng · to go · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 往往.
| 前往 | qiánwǎng | to leave for; to proceed towards; to go to |
| 交往 | jiāowǎng | to associate (with); to have contact (with) |
| 以往 | yǐwǎng | in the past; formerly |
| 往后 | wǎnghòu | from now on; in the future |
| 来往 | láiwǎng | to come and go; to have dealings with |
| 往来 | wǎnglái | dealings; contacts |
| 往年 | wǎngnián | in former years; in previous years |
| 通往 | tōngwǎng | to lead to |
| 往常 | wǎngcháng | usual; customary |
| 飞往 | fēiwǎng | |
| 往事 | wǎngshì | past events; former happenings |
| 一如既往 | yīrú-jìwǎng | (idiom) just as in the past; as before; continuing as always |
Questions about 往往
What does 往往 mean?
往往 (wǎngwǎng) means "usually; in many cases" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 往往?
往往 is made of 2 characters: 往 (8 strokes), 往 (8 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 往往 an HSK word?
Yes. 往往 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 往往 be used for the future?
No. 往往 sums up what has generally happened or tends to happen. For future frequency, use 常常 or 经常 instead.
Does 往往 need a condition in the sentence?
It usually sounds most natural with a context such as a time, situation or type of person, like 下雨的时候 or 年轻人. A bare sentence like 他往往去 feels incomplete to native speakers.