早

zǎo

HSK 1

早 — zǎo

1. early (happening before the usual or expected time)

   他来得很早，办公室才刚开门。 tā láide hěnzǎo bàngōngshì cáigāng kāimén — He arrived very early; the office had just opened.

2. morning (the early part of the day)

   早上好！今天早上很冷。 zǎoshànghǎo jīntiān zǎoshàng hěn lěng — Good morning! It's very cold this morning.

3. Good morning! (greeting)

   你早！你今天睡得好吗？ nǐ zǎo nǐ jīntiān shuì dé hǎo ma — Good morning! Did you sleep well today?

4. long ago; formerly

   早在人们发明文字之前，这片土地就有人居住。 zǎozài rénmen fāmíng wénzì zhīqián zhè piàn tǔdì jiù yǒurén jūzhù — Long ago, before people invented writing, this land was already inhabited.

5. prematurely; too soon

   他因准备不足而早下结论，这是不负责任的。 tā yīn zhǔnbèi bùzú ér zǎo xiàjiélùn zhè shì bùfùzérèn de — He drew conclusions prematurely because he wasn't prepared; that is irresponsible.