Chinese word

来历

Pronunciation

Pinyinlái lì

Meaning

  • nounorigin

Example

这个名字的来历很有意思。zhè ge míng zì de lái lì hěn yǒu yì si

The origin of this name is very interesting.

Illustration for 来历 (origin)

More examples

记者想打听那位证人的来历。jì zhě xiǎng dǎ tīng nà wèi zhèng rén de lái lì

The reporter wants to find out about that witness's background.

Core concept

A trail leading from a person or thing's beginning to the circumstances that shaped it.

Common phrases

  • 打听来历dǎ tīng lái lì

    ask about the background

  • 追溯来历zhuī sù lái lì

    trace the origin

  • 核实来历hé shí lái lì

    verify the background

Similar words

来源lái yuán: The source from which a thing or piece of information comes.
出处chū chǔ: The place or source from which a text, saying, statement, or object was taken.
起源qǐ yuán: The beginning or earliest source of a thing, event, or phenomenon.
背景bèi jǐng: The conditions and events behind something, including the situation in which it developed.

Definition in Chinese

指事物或人物的出处、起源或历史背景，常用于交代来由或出处。zhǐ shì wù huò rén wù de chū chǔ qǐ yuán huò lì shǐ bèi jǐng cháng yòng yú jiāo dài lái yóu huò chū chǔ

Word origin

来 (lái, "come") + 历 (lì, "pass through") forms the idea of tracing where something comes from and what it has passed through.

Usage tips

  • For a person, the noun can sound like an investigation into the person's past, while for a name or object it often carries a more neutral sense of curiosity.

Other meanings

  • historynoun

Word lists with this word