一早 yìzǎo early in the morning
early in the morning; at dawn
How to remember 一早: 一 one + 早 early = early in the morning.
Characters
How it is used
- Colloquial 'first thing in the morning, bright and early' - 我一早就出发了 (wǒ yìzǎo jiù chūfā le) I set off early in the morning; 大一早 (dà yìzǎo) very first thing.
- Everyday spoken time word; often with 就 to mark doing something promptly at daybreak.
- Near 清早 (qīngzǎo) / 一大早 (yídàzǎo), which are near-identical; 早晨 (zǎochen) is the plain noun 'morning'.
Example sentences
- 我们同意了第二天一早开始。 Wǒmen tóngyì le dìèrtiān yīzǎo kāishǐ.We agreed to start early the next morning.