近年来 jìnniánlái for the past few years
How to remember 近年来: 近 close + 年 year + 来 come = for the past few years.
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How it is used
- A written/formal sentence-opener meaning 'in recent years' - 近年来经济发展很快 (jìnnián lái jīngjì fāzhǎn hěn kuài) in recent years the economy has grown fast.
- Frames a trend, so it usually pairs with change verbs (增加, 上升, 发展). Common in reports and essays, less in casual speech.