Yǒng yuan (永远) conveys the semantic meaning of “for a limitless time” or “for all time” when serving as an adverb. It is similar in meaning and usage to “forever”.
(1)我们会永远在一起。
wǒ men huì yǒng yuǎn zài yì qǐ.
We will be together forever.
(2)我永远记得那一天。
wǒ yǒng yuǎn jì dé nà yī tiān.
I will remember that day forever.
Zǒng shì (总是) means “always”, the use of which emphasizes that an action or a state is of frequent occurrence and the situation remains the same in each time. As an adverb, zǒng shì(总是) precedes the verb or the adjective it modifies.
(3) 他总是八点钟起床。
tā zǒng shì bā diǎn zhōng qǐ chuáng.
He always gets up at eight o’clock.
When modifying an adjective, a degree modifier is necessary between zǒng shì(总是) and the adjective. The normally used form is : zǒng shì(总是)+ degree adverb+ adjective
(4)这个孩子总是非常活泼。
zhè gè hái zi zǒng shì fēi cháng huó pō.
The kid is always very lively.
The adverb lǎo shì(老是) also translates to “always”, but it is usually used in the context of complaints, revealing one’s dissatisfaction with the situation. Zǒng shì(总是) and lǎo shì(老是) are interchangeable when expressing an unsatisfied emotion.
(5) 你上课老是/总是迟到，这样太不尊重老师了。
nǐ shàng kè lǎo shì/ zǒng shì chí dào, zhè yàng tài bù zūn zhòng lǎo shī le.
You are always late for class, that is really disrespectful to the teacher.
