Chinese word

早

Pronunciation

Pinyinzǎo

Meaning

  • adjectiveearly

Example

现在太早了。xiàn zài tài zǎo le

It's too early now.

Illustration for 早 (early)

More examples

他比别人来得更早。tā bǐ bié rén lái de gèng zǎo

He arrives earlier than the others.

Core concept

A lead in time: something starts before the expected or compared event, often in the morning.

Common phrases

  • 太早了tài zǎo le

    too early

  • 来得早lái de zǎo

    arrive early

  • 起得早qǐ de zǎo

    get up early

Similar words

晚wǎn: Starting or occurring later than the time used for comparison, such as when getting up or leaving.
快kuài: Moving quickly from one place or action to another.

Definition in Chinese

表示事件或动作在时间上比参照点更早；也可用于描述人或事在清晨发生或开始。biǎo shì shì jiàn huò dòng zuò zài shí jiān shàng bǐ cān zhào diǎn gèng zǎo yě kě yòng yú miáo shù rén huò shì zài qīng chén fā shēng huò kāi shǐ

Word origin

The character 早 (zǎo, "early") is linked to the sun at the beginning of the day, and this morning-related meaning broadened to include anything that happens before a reference point.

Usage tips

  • English often uses separate phrases for being ahead of schedule and greeting someone in the morning, but Chinese uses one short word across both situations.

Other meanings

  • good morninginterjection

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word