Chinese word

来自

Pronunciation

Pinyinlái zì

Meaning

  • verbbe originally from

Example

他来自中国。tā lái zì zhōng guó

He is originally from China.

Illustration for 来自 (be originally from)

More examples

他们的老师来自北京。tā men de lǎo shī lái zì běi jīng

Their teacher is originally from Beijing.

Core concept

A clear starting point lies behind a person, thing, or idea seen now.

Common phrases

  • 来自中国lái zì zhōng guó

    be originally from China

  • 来自北京lái zì běi jīng

    be originally from Beijing

Similar words

来自于lái zì yú: Originate from a stated place or organization in a clear, explicit expression.
出自chū zì: Originate from a particular source, especially for a work, object, or person's background.

Definition in Chinese

表示起源或出处，常用于说明人的出身或物品的来源，句型多为“来自+名词”。biǎo shì qǐ yuán huò chū chǔ cháng yòng yú shuō míng rén de chū shēn huò wù pǐn de lái yuán jù xíng duō wèi lái zì míng cí

Word origin

来 (lái, "come") means coming toward the present, and 自 (zì, "from") identifies the starting point, so their combination marks origin rather than destination.

Usage tips

  • For a person's background, this word describes where the person originates, so it can remain accurate even when the person now lives somewhere else.

Other meanings

  • stem fromverb
  • sourcenoun

Word lists with this word