不是经常 是每次
“Not often. Every time.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
你经常考第一吗
“Do you often score first place?”
不是经常 是每次
“Not often. Every time.”
“If university intakes are still based on academic merit, I'd have secured a place.”
“Don't underestimate me—I didn't just do well occasionally, I was always the best.”
In Chinese culture, consistently ranking first is a massive point of pride, reflecting diligence, capability, and unfulfilled potential during eras when university access was restricted.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
not... but rather...
A fundamental corrective construction used to dismiss an inaccurate premise and replace it with a stronger fact.
every time / always
Used to denote absolute consistency across repeated events.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“doesn't he do this all the time?”
“But recently, for some reason,”
“You never feel lonely? That's right.”
“He went there too frequently. There must be something wrong.”
“who hasn't had any trouble for years.”
“I only go home once a year.”