向来

• 拼音: xiàng lái
• 汉字拆解: 向 = 宀 + 口 (roof + mouth — direction, facing); 来 = pictograph of a wheat plant coming toward you (to come)

含义

Always; all along; consistently and without exception throughout. Expressing a longstanding or habitual pattern.

Used to assert that a characteristic, habit, or state has always been true — not just recently. Creates an impression of consistency and reliability, or in negative sentences, of a persistent deficit. Slightly more formal than 一直 (always/continuously), and implies a habitual truth rather than an unbroken chain of events.

例句

1. 她向来待人和善，无论遇到何种困境都从不轻易迁怒于他人，深受众人爱戴。
2. 这家餐厅向来以食材新鲜和服务周到著称，在当地拥有极为稳固的良好口碑。
3. 他向来不善于在公众场合发言，因此这次突如其来的即兴演讲让在场所有人大吃一惊。

用法指南

语境: character description, habits, formal writing

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 他向来做事严谨认真，从不马虎应付，因此深受上司的信任与器重。(He has always been meticulous and conscientious in everything he does, never perfunctory, which is why he is deeply trusted and valued by his superiors.)
• 这所大学向来重视基础研究，每年在科研经费上的投入远超全国平均水平。(This university has always placed great emphasis on fundamental research, investing far above the national average in research funding each year.)

错误说法

• 向来昨天很忙 — 向来 refers to a long-standing habitual pattern, not a specific occasion; use 昨天恰好 or 碰巧 for one-off situations

起源与历史

向 (towards/facing) + 来 (come/ever since) — from the direction of the past up to the present; has always been so

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal