for a long time; long since · (dialect) in the past

zǎo yǐ

New to Chinese?Start with pinyin·See the learning path·Browse all tools

Examples3 available

Mary has already left on her trip.

玛丽早已出发旅行去了。

Mary had become so frail and gaunt that it seemed she already had one foot in the grave.

玛丽早已变得太虚弱憔悴，似乎已经半截入土。

Such a method is out of date.

这种方法早已过时了。

Keep practising

Practice sheet — print this character in 田字格 with stroke order and trace it.
All learning tools — pinyin charts, HSK lists, quizzes and printables in one place.
Pinyin annotator — paste any sentence and read it with pinyin above every character.

Want to practice speaking with a real teacher? Find a 1-on-1 Chinese tutor on italki (affiliate)