赶早 (gǎn zǎo) — as soon as possible; while there is still time

Definition

赶早 (gǎn zǎo) means 'as soon as possible, before it's too late' — emphasizes acting quickly to beat a deadline or worsening situation. More urgent than 尽快 and carries a hint of 'the earlier the better'.

adverb
as soon as possiblewhile there is still time
Easily confused

Examples

  • 赶早。
    Zhè jiàn shì yào gǎn zǎo zuò wán.
    This matter must be finished as soon as possible.
  • 赶早，。
    Wǒ men gǎn zǎo chū fā ba, miǎn de dǔ chē.
    Let's set off as soon as possible to avoid traffic jams.
  • 赶早。
    Gǎn mào le jiù yào gǎn zǎo chī yào.
    If you catch a cold, you should take medicine as soon as possible.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

赶gǎnrush
早zǎoearly

Rushing 赶 toward the 早 time, hence as soon as possible.

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 趕; 赶 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
旱
旱hàn趕gǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 趕 combines 走, for the meaning, and 旱, for the sound; this is about 趕, not 赶.

Open 赶 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
棗
棗zǎo早zǎo
Same sound today

The form 早 pairs 日 (sun) with 棗, which gives the sound; an earlier shape of 早 was a picture of an acorn.

Open 早 →

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