Word: 总 (zǒng)

不管是谁总比没人好。

Bùguǎn shì shéi zǒng bǐ méi rén hǎo.

Anybody would be better than nobody.

丑媳妇总要见公婆

chǒu xífù zǒng yào jiàn gōngpó

an ugly daughter-in-law still has to meet her husband's parents

两个孩子总爱互相较劲。

Liǎng gè háizi zǒng ài hùxiāng jiàojìn.

The two kids always like to compete with each other.

为什么总让我演配角？

Wèishénme zǒng ràng wǒ yǎn pèijué?

Why do you always make me play the minor role?

事情总比我们想的要复杂得多。

Shìqing zǒng bǐ wǒmen xiǎng de yào fùzá de duō.

Things are always more complex than we think.

人生在世，总要有目标和追求的。

Rénshēng zài shì, zǒng yào yǒu mùbiāo hé zhuīqiú de.

We must have something to live for.

人生总要有取舍。

Rénshēng zǒng yào yǒu qǔshě.

In life you always have to decide what to keep and what to give up.

他不是总来晚。

Tā bú shì zǒng lái wǎn.

He doesn't always come late.

他不爱交际，周末总在家。

Tā bú ài jiāojì, zhōumò zǒng zàijiā.

He doesn't like socializing and is always at home on weekends.

他为什么总跟我过不去？

Tā wèishénme zǒng gēn wǒ guòbúqù?

Why does he always give me a hard time?

他做事太被动，总要别人催。

Tā zuòshì tài bèidòng, zǒng yào biéren cuī.

He is too passive in his work and always needs others to push him.

他写字时总忘了标点符号。

Tā xiězì shí zǒng wàngle biāodiǎnfúhào.

He always forgets punctuation when he writes.

他总想买更高档次的车。

Tā zǒng xiǎng mǎi gèng gāo dàngcì de chē.

He always wants to buy a car of a higher class.

他总想把所有的权力都揽在手里。

Tā zǒng xiǎng bǎ suǒyǒu de quánlì dōu lǎn zài shǒulǐ.

He always wants to hold all the power in his own hands.

他总想操纵别人的想法。

Tā zǒng xiǎng cāozòng biéren de xiǎngfǎ.

He always tries to manipulate other people's thinking.

他总想着计算别人。

Tā zǒng xiǎngzhe jìsuàn biéren.

He is always scheming against other people.

他总有一天要返回日本。

Tā zǒng yǒu yì tiān yào fǎnhuí Rìběn.

One day he will return to Japan.

他总爱夸耀自己的成绩。

Tā zǒng ài kuāyào zìjǐ de chéngjì.

He always likes to brag about his results.

他总爱搞笑，想让大家开心一点。

Tā zǒng ài gǎoxiào, xiǎng ràng dàjiā kāixīn yìdiǎn.

He always likes to clown around, wanting to cheer everyone up.

他有强迫症，总爱洗手。

Tā yǒu qiǎngpòzhèng, zǒng ài xǐshǒu.

He has OCD and always washes his hands.

他朝三暮四，总拿不定主意。

Tā zhāosānmùsì, zǒng ná búdìng zhǔyi.

He is so indecisive and can never make up his mind.

他说英文时总要出一点的错。

Tā shuō Yīngwén shí zǒng yào chū yìdiǎn de cuò.

He never speaks English without making a few mistakes.

他说话总爱带点俚语。

Tā shuōhuà zǒng ài dài diǎn lǐyǔ.

He always likes to sprinkle some slang into his speech.

他说话的时候总爱举例。

Tā shuōhuà de shíhou zǒng ài jǔlì.

He always likes to give examples when he talks.

你为什么总巴结老板？

Nǐ wèishénme zǒng bājie lǎobǎn?

Why do you always fawn on the boss?

你为什么总想着报仇呢？

Nǐ wèishénme zǒng xiǎngzhe bàochóu ne?

Why do you always think about taking revenge?

你为什么总要大叫？

Nǐ wèishénme zǒng yào dàjiào?

Why are you always shouting?

你别总沉迷于过去，要往前看。

Nǐ bié zǒng chénmí yú guòqù, yào wǎngqián kàn.

Don't keep losing yourself in the past; look ahead.

你最好别总去想她。

Nǐ zuìhǎo bié zǒng qù xiǎng tā.

Try not to think about her all the time.

出了问题，别总怨同事。

Chūle wèntí, bié zǒng yuàn tóngshì.

When something goes wrong, don't always blame your colleagues.

别总想那些负面的事。

Bié zǒng xiǎng nèixiē fùmiàn de shì.

Don't always think about those negative things.

别总揭我的短，好不好？

Bié zǒng jiē wǒ de duǎn, hǎobùhǎo?

Stop always bringing up my faults, okay?

千丈麻绳总要有一个结

qiānzhàng máshéng zǒng yào yǒu yí gè jié

a thousand-zhang hemp rope must still have an end knot

同学们总攀比谁的手机贵。

Tóngxuémen zǒng pānbǐ shéi de shǒujī guì.

The classmates are always comparing whose phone is more expensive.

商店为什么总在周末促销？

Shāngdiàn wèishénme zǒng zài zhōumò cùxiāo?

Why do stores always run promotions on weekends?

天不会总阴，水不会总浑

tiān búhuì zǒng yīn, shuǐ búhuì zǒng hún

the sky isn't always overcast, the water isn't always muddy

天晴总有天阴时

tiān qíng zǒng yǒu tiānyīn shí

clear skies are always followed by overcast times

头发不剪，总要长的

tóufa bù jiǎn, zǒng yào zhǎng de

if you don't cut the hair, it will keep growing

她总爱挑拨同事的关系。

Tā zǒng ài tiǎobō tóngshì de guānxi.

She always likes to sow discord among her colleagues.

她缺乏同理心，说话总伤到别人。

Tā quēfá tónglǐxīn, shuōhuà zǒng shāng dào biéren.

She lacks empathy, and what she says always hurts others.

好人总有好报

hǎo rén zǒng yǒu hǎo bào

a good person always has a good reward

孩子们总爱创作自己的游戏。

Háizimen zǒng ài chuàngzuò zìjǐ de yóuxì.

Children were apt to invent their own games.

小孩子总爱用手抠墙上的漆。

Xiǎoháizi zǒng ài yòng shǒu kōu qiáng shàng de qī.

Little kids always like to pick at the paint on the wall.

小时候，我总想当一个武侠。

Xiǎoshíhou, wǒ zǒng xiǎng dāng yí gè wǔxiá.

As a child, I always wanted to be a knight-errant.

总有一些人不讲理。

Zǒng yǒu yìxiē rén bù jiǎnglǐ.

There are always some people who are unreasonable.

总有一天你会明白的。

Zǒng yǒu yì tiān nǐ huì míngbai de.

You will understand it as time passes.

总有人问我这个问题。

Zǒng yǒurén wèn wǒ zhège wèntí.

I'm always asked this question.

我不饿，但我总想吃东西。

Wǒ bú è, dàn wǒ zǒng xiǎng chī dōngxi.

I'm not hungry, but I always want to eat something.

我们总要遵守法律。

Wǒmen zǒng yào zūnshǒu fǎlǜ.

We should always obey laws.

我在这里总感到约束。

Wǒ zài zhèlǐ zǒng gǎndào yuēshù.

I feel always restricted here.

我奶奶是个快活的人，总爱说笑。

Wǒ nǎinai shì gè kuàihuo de rén, zǒng ài shuō xiào.

My grandmother is a cheerful person who always loves joking.

我妈妈总爱吐槽电视里的广告。

Wǒ māma zǒng ài tùcáo diànshì lǐ de guǎnggào.

My mom always loves to poke fun at the ads on TV.

我总想不出什么好点子。

Wǒ zǒng xiǎng bù chū shénme hǎo diǎnzi.

Bright ideas never occur to me.

我总觉得渴。

Wǒ zǒng juéde kě.

I'm always thirsty.

我最近总失眠，怎么办？

Wǒ zuìjìn zǒng shīmián, zěnmebàn?

I've been having trouble sleeping lately. What should I do?

我最近总觉得浑身乏力。

Wǒ zuìjìn zǒng juéde húnshēn fálì.

Lately I've always felt weak all over.

我爸爸骑车时总穿雨衣。

Wǒ bàba qíchē shí zǒng chuān yǔyī.

My dad always wears a raincoat when he rides his bike.

我的同事很进取，总想学新东西。

Wǒ de tóngshì hěn jìnqǔ, zǒng xiǎng xué xīn dōngxi.

My coworker is a real go-getter who always wants to learn new things.

我要合计一下学生们所得的总分数。

Wǒ yào héjì yíxià xuéshengmen suǒde de zǒng fēnshù.

I'm going to total up the points gained by the students.

春天潮湿，衣服总干不了。

Chūntiān cháoshī, yīfu zǒng gān bù liǎo.

Spring is damp, so clothes never seem to dry.

是山总有路，是河总有桥

shì shān zǒng yǒu lù, shì hé zǒng yǒu qiáo

every mountain has a path; every river has a bridge

晚饭后，我总要休息一个小时。

Wǎnfàn hòu, wǒ zǒng yào xiūxi yí gè xiǎoshí.

I always rest for an hour after dinner.

有床总比没床好。

Yǒu chuáng zǒng bǐ méi chuáng hǎo.

To have a bed is better than not having one.

爷爷总爱和老朋友玩麻将。

Yéye zǒng ài hé lǎopéngyou wán májiàng.

Grandpa always loves playing mahjong with his old friends.

爸爸洗脸时总爱唱歌。

Bàba xǐliǎn shí zǒng ài chànggē.

Dad always likes to sing while he washes his face.

生活再难，也总有亮点。

Shēnghuó zài nán, yě zǒng yǒu liàngdiǎn.

However hard life gets, there are always some bright spots.

电商为什么总打价格战？

Diànshāng wèishénme zǒng dǎ jiàgézhàn?

Why do online retailers always get into price wars?

百密总有一疏

bǎi mì zǒng yǒu yì shū

among a hundred careful points there is always one oversight

社会总在新陈代谢中前进。

Shèhuì zǒng zài xīnchén-dàixiè zhōng qiánjìn.

Society always moves forward as the new replaces the old.

笑总比哭好。

Xiào zǒng bǐ kū hǎo.

It's better to laugh than to cry.

绳子总在细处断

shéngzi zǒng zài xì chǔduàn

a rope always breaks at its thin part

肉里有脓总要凸出来

ròu lǐ yǒu nóng zǒng yào tūchū lái

pus in the flesh will eventually bulge out

车里为什么总有奇怪的响声？

Chē lǐ wèishénme zǒng yǒu qíguài de xiǎngshēng?

Why is there always a strange noise in the car?

过马路小心点总没有错的。

Guò mǎlù xiǎoxīn diǎn zǒng méiyǒu cuò de.

You cannot be too careful in crossing a street.

近日总下雨，衣服难干。

Jìnrì zǒng xiàyǔ, yīfu nán gān.

It's been raining these past few days, so clothes are hard to get dry.

这种秘密总有一天会被揭露的。

Zhèzhǒng mìmì zǒng yǒu yì tiān huì bèi jiēlù de.

Such secrets are always eventually revealed.

这里总有一些事情在发生。

Zhèlǐ zǒng yǒu yìxiē shìqing zài fāshēng.

There is always something happening here.

迟做总比不做好。

Chí zuò zǒng bǐ bú zuò hǎo.

Better late than never.

迟到总比不到好。

Chídào zǒng bǐ búdào hǎo.

Better late than never.

领导开会总爱讲官话。

Lǐngdǎo kāihuì zǒng ài jiǎng guānhuà.

The boss always spouts officialese in meetings.