近来 (jìn lái) — recently; lately | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

近来 is a slightly more written/formal way to say 'recently' than the everyday 最近. It points only to the recent past, never to the near future.

noun

recentlylately

Easily confused

进来jìn láisound-aliketo come in

Examples

近来？
Nǐ jìn lái shēn tǐ zěn me yàng?
How has your health been recently?
近来，。
Tā jìn lái gōng zuò hěn máng, hěn shǎo xiū xi.
He has been very busy with work lately and rarely rests.
近来。
Zhè lǐ jìn lái fā shēng le hěn dà de biàn huà.
Great changes have taken place here recently.

Origin

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.

近 'recent' + 来 'coming' points to the time coming near now, i.e. lately.

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.

辶斤近

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

斤

斤jīn近jìn

Same sound today

近 combines 辶, a walking radical, with 斤, which gives the sound. The walking part fits the idea of moving close to something.

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

HSK 3.0 Level 6 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Time (Abstract)

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