往往
wǎngwǎng · HSK 3
more often than not
🔁 往 = go/toward, doubled: 往往 = 'goes and goes' = happens again and again
往 means 'to go' or 'toward'. Reduplicating it (往往) shifts the sense to repeated occurrence — something that 'goes and goes' through time, i.e. happens often or more often than not.
往 — 彳 (step radical) + 主 (phonetic)
往 originally depicted a foot moving toward a place, with the 彳 radical signaling motion or walking. The right component 主 served mainly as a phonetic clue. Over time the meaning settled into 'to go (toward)' and, by extension, 'past' or 'previously'.
往 — 彳 (step radical) + 主 (phonetic)
往 originally depicted a foot moving toward a place, with the 彳 radical signaling motion or walking. The right component 主 served mainly as a phonetic clue. Over time the meaning settled into 'to go (toward)' and, by extension, 'past' or 'previously'.