早已 (zǎo yǐ) — long since; for a long time (already done before a certain before a reference time)
Definition
早已 emphasizes that something happened 'long since / a long time ago,' with a stronger sense of remoteness than 已经 ('already'). It frames the action as completed well before now.
adverb
long sincefor a long time (already done before a certain before a reference time)
Examples
- 早已。Tā zǎo yǐ bǎ fàn chī le.He had already eaten long ago.
- 早已。Wǒ zǎo yǐ zhī dào dá àn le.I had known the answer long ago.
- 早已。Wǒ men zǎo yǐ zhǔn bèi hǎo le suǒ yǒu dōng xī.We had prepared everything long ago.
Appears in
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