"Earlier" • Chinese-English Dictionary

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先 xiān beforehand / first / earlier / at first / originally / for the time being / for now / (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself)
打早 dǎ zǎo earlier / long ago / as soon as possible
提前 tí qián to shift to an earlier date / to do sth ahead of time / in advance
早就 zǎo jiù already at an earlier time
早知道 zǎo zhī dao If I had known earlier...
前言 qián yán preface / foreword / introduction / preamble / earlier remarks / earlier words / (literary) words of the ancient thinkers
提早 tí zǎo ahead of schedule / sooner than planned / to bring forward (to an earlier time)
早些 zǎo xiē a bit earlier
侍郎 shì láng (Ming and Qing dynasties) vice-minister of one of the Six Boards / (also an official title in earlier dynasties)
继往开来 jì wǎng kāi lái to follow the past and herald the future (idiom) / part of a historical transition / forming a bridge between earlier and later stages
从 cóng from / through / via / (bound form) to follow / (bound form) to obey / (bound form) to engage in (an activity) / (used before a negative) ever / (bound form) (Taiwan pr. [zong4]) retainer / attendant / (bound form) (Taiwan pr. [zong4]) assistant / auxiliary / subordinate / (bound form) (Taiwan pr. [zong4]) related by common paternal grandfather or earlier ancestor
承前启后 chéng qián qǐ hòu to follow the past and herald the future (idiom) / part of a historical transition / forming a bridge between earlier and later stages
补过 bǔ guò to make up for an earlier mistake / to make amends
相见恨晚 xiāng jiàn hèn wǎn to regret not having met earlier (idiom) / It is nice to meet you finally. / It feels like we have known each other all along.
承上起下 chéng shàng qǐ xià to follow the past and herald the future (idiom) / part of a historical transition / forming a bridge between earlier and later stages
失之东隅，收之桑榆 shī zhī dōng yú , shōu zhī sāng yú to lose at sunrise but gain at sunset (idiom) / to compensate later for one's earlier loss / what you lose on the swings you gain on the roundabouts
稍早时 shāo zǎo shí a little earlier
不早于 bù zǎo yú no earlier than
最早于 zuì zǎo yú no earlier than
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