总是
zǒng shì
Expressing "always" with "zongshi"
总是 means "always" in the sense of every single time.
Subj. + 总是 + Verb
How it works
他总是迟到 — he's always late. It describes a pattern of repeated occasions rather than a continuous state.
总 alone is a shorter equivalent. The negative 总是不 means "never does", while 不总是 means "not always".
Examples
tā zǒng shì chí dào
他总是迟到。
He's always late.
wǒ zǒng shì wàng jì tā de míng zì
我总是忘记他的名字。
I always forget his name.
tā zǒng shì hěn máng
她总是很忙。
She's always busy.