历来 (lì lái) — always; consistently (throughout history or a l…

Definition

Written/formal adverb for 'always, consistently' across history or a long period. Stronger than 始终 and 一向; near-synonym of 向来 but more literary.

adverb

alwaysconsistently (throughout history or a long period)

历来。
Zhè ge dì qū lì lái qì hòu wēn nuǎn.
This region has always had a warm climate.
历来。
Tā men lì lái zūn shǒu yuē dìng.
They have always kept their promises.
历来。
lì lái Jiān chí chuán tǒng bù róng yì.
It is not easy to always adhere to tradition.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

历lìthroughout

历 ('throughout') gives the span, and 来 ('coming') gives the movement, so the word means consistently across time.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 歷; 历 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 历 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (简历, 经历) it is 歷; in others (日历) it is 曆.

厤止歷

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

厤

厤lì歷lì

Same sound today

The form 歷 pairs 止 with the sound part 厤.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Appears in