每周

§ What does 每周 (měi zhōu) mean?

Definition

每周 (měi zhōu) means 'weekly' or 'every week'. It's a common word you'll use when talking about things that happen on a regular, weekly basis.

Think of it like saying 'every week' in English. It's used to describe the frequency of an action or event. You'll hear it a lot in everyday conversations, especially when discussing schedules, routines, or recurring activities.

The word is made of two characters:

• 每 (měi): This character means 'every' or 'each'.

• 周 (zhōu): This character means 'week'.

Put them together, and you get 'every week' or 'weekly'. Simple, right?

§ When do people use 每周 (měi zhōu)?

You use 每周 (měi zhōu) any time you want to express that something happens on a weekly basis. It's super versatile. Here are a few common scenarios:

• For regular appointments or classes: If you have a Chinese class every week, you'd use 每周 (měi zhōu) to say that.

  我每周三学习中文。(Wǒ měi zhōu sān xuéxí zhōngwén.) - I study Chinese every Wednesday (weekly on Wednesday).

• To talk about routines: Maybe you go to the gym every week, or you call your family every week.

  他每周都去游泳。(Tā měi zhōu dōu qù yóuyǒng.) - He goes swimming every week.

• For deadlines or recurring tasks: If you have a report due weekly at work, or you clean your apartment weekly.

  这份报告每周都要提交。(Zhè fèn bàogào měi zhōu dōu yào tíjiāo.) - This report needs to be submitted weekly.

§ Placement in a sentence

Typically, 每周 (měi zhōu) goes before the verb or at the beginning of the sentence, acting as an adverbial phrase of time. It tells you *when* something happens.

You might also see it combined with specific days of the week, like 每周一 (měi zhōu yī) for 'every Monday'. This is a very common and practical way to specify your weekly schedule.

§ Forgetting to Use It

Many beginners, when they want to say something happens 'weekly', often try to use more complex constructions or forget to include the 'weekly' part altogether. They might just say 'I go to the gym' without specifying 'weekly'.

§ Confusing with 'Every Week' vs. 'Once a Week'

While 每周 translates to 'weekly', it often implies 'every week'. If you want to explicitly say 'once a week', you'll usually add a measure word and number. However, for simple weekly occurrences, 每周 is enough.

Correct Use

每周 (měi zhōu) - weekly, every week

This means 'I study Chinese every week.'

§ Incorrect Placement in Sentences

In Chinese, time words like 每周 usually go at the beginning of the sentence or directly before the verb. Putting it at the end, like in English, sounds unnatural.

• Incorrect: 我去健身房每周。(Wǒ qù jiànshēnfáng měi zhōu.)

• Correct: 每周我去健身房。(Měi zhōu wǒ qù jiànshēnfáng.)

• Also Correct: 我每周去健身房。(Wǒ měi zhōu qù jiànshēnfáng.)

§ Overcomplicating Simple Statements

Sometimes learners try to construct phrases like 'every one week' which is unnecessary. 每周 is already concise and clear.

Avoid

每个星期 (měi gè xīngqī) - while grammatically correct, 每周 is often more natural for general 'weekly' action.

While '每个星期' is not wrong, 每周 is more common and succinct for 'weekly'. Think of it as 'every + week' combined into one word.

§ Not Practicing Regularly

The biggest mistake isn't in understanding, but in not using it. Incorporate 每周 into your daily (or, well, weekly!) Chinese practice.