早年

zǎo nián

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Noun Rare

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Definitions

1. many years ago; in the past
2. in one's early years

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 近日 jìn rì 近日 jìn rì (in) the past few days antonym for 'many years ago', meaning recent days: (in) the past few days

Related words

2 items

• 早期 zǎo qī 早期 zǎo qī early period; early phase; early stage shares 'early period' sense: early period; early phase; early stage
• 往年 wǎng nián 往年 wǎng nián in former years refers to past years generally: in former years

Synonyms

1 item

• 从前 cóng qián 从前 cóng qián used for 'many years ago; in the past': used for 'many years ago; in the past'

Usage notes

Common mistakes

早年 refers to a period in the past or one's early life, but cannot be used for 'early morning' (早晨).

Example Sentences

1 shown

他 早年 学过法语。

He studied French in his early years.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 早年

• 年 年 nián: year
• 早 早 zǎo: early