Chinese word

早年

Pronunciation

Pinyinzǎo nián

Meaning

  • nounearly years

Example

早年，我在北京住过一年。zǎo nián wǒ zài běi jīng zhù guò yì nián

In my early years, I lived in Beijing for a year.

Illustration for 早年 (early years)

More examples

他早年的经历影响了他的一生。tā zǎo nián de jīng lì yíng xiǎng le tā de yì shēng

His early-life experiences influenced his whole life.

Core concept

The early stretch of a person's life, viewed from a later point in life.

Common phrases

  • 早年经历zǎo nián jīng lì

    experiences during one's early years

  • 早年生活zǎo nián shēng huó

    one's early life

  • 早年时期zǎo nián shí qī

    one's early years

Similar words

小时候xiǎo shí hòu: The time when a person was a small child, especially in memories or personal stories.
童年tóng nián: The period of childhood before a person reaches adulthood.
少年时代shào nián shí dài: The stage of life when a child is growing toward adulthood.
青年时期qīng nián shí qī: The early part of adult life, when a young person begins gaining social experience.

Definition in Chinese

指人生较早的岁月，通常指年轻时期，常在回忆或叙述过去经历时使用。zhǐ rén shēng jiào zǎo de suì yuè tōng cháng zhǐ nián qīng shí qī cháng zài huí yì huò xù shù guò qù jīng lì shí shǐ yòng

Word origin

早 (zǎo, "early") + 年 (nián, "year") frames a person's earlier years as one remembered period, rather than a precisely defined age.

Usage tips

  • In a life story, it works well as background before a later achievement or change, giving the listener a time frame without naming an exact age.

Other meanings

  • childhoodnoun
  • youthnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word