HSK 5
时间副词：不时、将、将要、仍旧、时常、时刻、依旧、一向
shí jiān fù cí ： bù shí 、 jiāng 、 jiāng yào 、 réng jiù 、 shí cháng 、 shí kè 、 yī jiù 、 yí xiàng
Time Adverbs: 不时, 将, 将要, 仍旧, 时常, 时刻, 依旧, 一向
Explanation
This is a group of adverbs (words that modify verbs or adjectives) indicating the time point or frequency of an action, most of them carrying a formal/written flavor (used in books and documents, rarely in speech). Each word stresses its own nuance of time.
subject (the person/thing performing, at the head of the sentence) + [不时 bù shí / 将 jiāng / 将要 jiāng yào / 仍旧 réng jiù / 时常 shí cháng / 时刻 shí kè / 依旧 yī jiù / 一向 yī xiàng] + verb.
不时 (bù shí) = from time to time, an action repeated irregularly; 将 (jiāng) and 将要 (jiāng yào) = about to, will (indicating the near future, 将 being more formal and often found in written language); 仍旧 (réng jiù) and 依旧 (yī jiù) = still as before, stressing continuation from the past; 时常 (shí cháng) = often; 时刻 (shí kè) = always, at every moment; 一向 (yī xiàng) = all along, by nature, indicating a habit lasting up to the present.
仍旧/依旧 have nearly the same meaning, both mean 'still as before' and can be used interchangeably; 时常 stresses frequency of repetition many times, while 时刻 stresses continuity without interruption; 一向 stresses a stable, long-lasting habit/character, differing from 时常 which merely indicates something happening often.
Vietnamese learners often use 将/将要 in everyday conversation (it is more natural to use 要...了 or 快...了); it is easy to confuse 一向 with 一直 (yī zhí) — 一向 leans toward a habit/nature held up to now, while 一直 leans toward an action lasting without interruption.
Examples
I think of past events from time to time.
Next year we will go abroad on a field study.
The TV drama is about to start.
Twenty years have passed, and he still hasn't married.
After growing up, I often miss my hometown.
Abroad, I constantly miss my loved ones back home.
Ten years have passed, and he still lives there as before.
He has never liked talking.
Practice
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Learn “时间副词：不时、将、将要、仍旧、时常、时刻、依旧、一向” effectively
The grammar point “时间副词：不时、将、将要、仍旧、时常、时刻、依旧、一向” (Time Adverbs: 不时, 将, 将要, 仍旧, 时常, 时刻, 依旧, 一向) is one of the key structures at HSK 5. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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