早已 zǎoyǐ for a long time
for a long time; long since; (dialect) in the past
How to remember 早已: 早 early + 已 already = for a long time.
Characters
How it is used
- Means "long since / already long ago" - 他早已离开了 (tā zǎoyǐ líkāile) he left long ago.
- Stronger than plain 已经 (yǐjīng): 早已 stresses that it happened much earlier than one might think; written and slightly emphatic in tone.
Example sentences
- 这种方法早已过时了。 Zhèzhǒng fāngfǎ zǎoyǐ guòshí le.Those kinds of methods are out of date.