迟早 (chí zǎo) — sooner or later | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Adverb meaning 'sooner or later' — emphasizes inevitability. Compared to sibling 早晚 (also 'sooner or later'), 迟早 focuses on the eventual outcome; 迟迟 is the opposite, meaning 'slowly, with delay'.

adverb

sooner or later

Examples

迟早。
Zhè ge chí zǎo yào jiě jué.
This will have to be solved sooner or later.
，迟早。
Xué xí yì mén yǔ yán, chí zǎo huì yù dào kùn nan.
When learning a language, you will encounter difficulties sooner or later.
，迟早。
Zhǐ yào jiān chí, nǐ chí zǎo huì chéng gōng de.
As long as you persist, you will succeed sooner or later.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

迟 and 早 cover the two ends of timing, so the whole means sooner or later.

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.

辶尺迟

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuòmotion

Sound part声符shēngfú

尺

尺chǐ迟chí

Same sound today

迟 pairs 辶, a walking sign, with 尺, used for the sound.

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.

Appears in

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