往往

Chinese

		toward; (of a train) bound for; to go (in a direction) toward; (of a train) bound for; to go (in a direction); past; previous; towards	toward; (of a train) bound for; to go (in a direction) toward; (of a train) bound for; to go (in a direction); past; previous; towards
simp. and trad. (往往)		往	往
alternative forms		永永 (éng-éng) Min Nan

Adverb

往往

1. often

   往往如此  ―  wǎngwǎng rúcǐ  ―  to be often the case

   • 傳聞與暹人相攻，皆驅百姓使戰，往往亦别無智略謀畫。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     传闻与暹人相攻，皆驱百姓使战，往往亦别无智略谋画。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: c. 1300, 周達觀 / 周达观 (Zhou Daguan), 《真臘風土記 / 真腊风土记》 (The Customs of Cambodia), translation by Peter Harris

     Chuánwén yǔ Xiān rén xiàng gōng, jiē qū bǎixìng shǐ zhàn, wǎngwǎng yì bié wú zhìlüè móuhuà. [Pinyin]

     I have heard reports that when the Siamese attacked, all the ordinary people were ordered out to do battle, often with no good strategy or preparation.

   • 我國經典，未經整理，讀起來特別難，一般人往往望而生畏，結果是敬而遠之。 [MSC, trad.]
     我国经典，未经整理，读起来特别难，一般人往往望而生畏，结果是敬而远之。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1942, 朱自清 (Zhu Ziqing), 經典常談

     Wǒguó jīngdiǎn, wèijīng zhěnglǐ, dú qǐlái tèbié nán, yībānrén wǎngwǎng wàng'érshēngwèi, jiéguǒ shì jìng'éryuǎnzhī. [Pinyin]

     Chinese classics are difficult to read uncollated. Ordinary people are often terrified by the sight of them, and prefer to remain at a respectful distance.

2. (Classical) everywhere

   • 旦日，卒中往往語，皆指目陳勝。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     旦日，卒中往往语，皆指目陈胜。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Dànrì, zú zhōng wǎngwǎng yǔ, jiē zhǐmù Chén Shèng. [Pinyin]

     The next day, everywhere in the infantry, soldiers were talking about the event, and were pointing and looking at Chen Sheng.

Synonyms

• (often):

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• 動輒／动辄 (dòngzhé) (literary)
• 常常 (chángcháng)
• 常時／常时 (chángshí)
• 慣／惯 (guàn) (literary, or in compounds)
• 時常／时常 (shícháng)
• 時時／时时 (shíshí)
• 每每 (měiměi)
• 終古／终古 (zhōnggǔ) (literary)
• 經常／经常 (jīngcháng)

 

Dialectal synonyms of 常常 (“often; frequently”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		經常, 時常, 常常, 時時, 往往, 每每
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	常
	Taiwan	常常
	Harbin	時不見兒, 時不當, 時不當兒, 時不常, 時不常兒, 時不時
	Singapore	常常
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	常常, 常, 時常
Central Plains Mandarin	Xi'an	常常, 常, 時常
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	時常, 常常, 隨時, 時不時
	Wuhan	帶常, 時常
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	常
	Hefei	常
Cantonese	Guangzhou	時時, 時常, 長時, 周時, 遇時, 時不時
	Hong Kong	成日, 經常, 時時, 好多時, 好多時候, 周時, 周不時
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	經常
	Yangjiang	周時
Gan	Nanchang	千常, 時常
Hakka	Meixian	輒常, 長時, 時常, 時不時
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	輒輒, 輒常, 長透, 常常, 時常, 不時, 時時, 長間, 經常
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	輒輒, 輒常, 長透, 登常, 常常, 時常, 不時, 時時, 長間, 經常
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	輒輒, 輒常, 長透, 常常, 時常, 不時, 時時, 長間, 經常
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	輒輒, 長在, 輒常, 常常, 時常, 不時, 時時, 經常
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	輒輒, 常勻, 輒常, 長透, 常常, 時常, 不時, 時時, 長間, 經常
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	輒輒, 不時, 輒, 恬恬, 長透, 時時
	Hong Kong	長日
Huizhou	Jixi	三不時, 時不時
Jin	Taiyuan	常常, 時常, 時不時
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	稠稠, 稠, 盡稠
Southern Min	Xiamen	定定, 長長, 四常, 時常, 常常, 不時, 不期時
	Quanzhou	定定, 長長, 四常, 時常, 常常, 不時
	Zhangzhou	定定, 時常, 常常, 不時, 不期時
	Tainan	定定, 時常, 常常, 不時, 捷捷, 沓沓, 常在, 往往
	Manila (Hokkien)	定定, 常常, 四常, 不時
	Chaozhou	長時, 惦惦
	Shantou	經常, 時常, 時時, 惦惦
	Bangkok (Teochew)	惦惦
	Leizhou	長世, 長常
Wu	Shanghai	常樁, 常常, 經常
	Shanghai (Chongming)	千常
	Suzhou	時常, 常時, 常樁
	Ningbo	老老, 老長 rare, 長常 rare, 長時 rare
	Wenzhou	清清, 常期
Xiang	Changsha	練常, 打常, 扯常, 扯常子, 時不時
	Shuangfeng	練常, 常常

• (everywhere):

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• 一世界 (⁷iq-sy-ka) (Wu)
• 一四界 (Hokkien)
• 七處／七处 (chék-ché̤ṳ) (Eastern Min)
• 五路 (Hokkien)
• 到處／到处 (dàochù)
• 各處／各处 (gèchù) (literary)
• 四勢／四势 (sí-sié) (Eastern Min)
• 四圍／四围 (sei³ wai⁴) (Cantonese)
• 四界 (Hokkien)
• 四處／四处 (sìchù)
• 四路裡／四路里 (si⁴ lou⁵ li) (Xiang)
• 在在 (zàizài)
• 堪哪裡／堪哪里 (kon¹ la li) (Gan)
• 大母四公界 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 大母四界 (Xiamen Hokkien, Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 度度 (dou⁶ dou⁶) (Cantonese)
• 比比 (bǐbǐ)
• 滿四界／满四界 (Hokkien)
• 滿塊／满块 (mua² go³) (Teochew)
• 滿底塊／满底块 (mua² di⁷ go³) (Teochew)
• 處處／处处 (chùchù)
• 逐搭 (Quanzhou Hokkien)
• 遍地
• 遍處／遍处 (biànchù)
• 隨處／随处 (suíchù)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (往往):

• → Japanese: 往往(おうおう) (ōō)
• → Korean: 왕왕(往往) (wang'wang)

References

• “Entry #3921”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
往	往
おう Grade: 5	おう Grade: 5
on'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 往往 – see the following entry.

【往々おうおう】 [adverb] often

(This term, 往往, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)