趁早 chènzǎo as soon as possible
as soon as possible; at the first opportunity; the sooner the better; before it's too late
怎么记住“趁早”: 趁 to take advantage of + 早 early = as soon as possible.
汉字
用法
- Adverb urging you to act now while conditions are still good - 趁早走吧,天快黑了 (chènzǎo zǒu ba, tiān kuài hēi le) leave now while you still can, it's getting dark.
- The 趁 carries "take advantage of the window": you do it early precisely to avoid trouble later, often with a warning or advice tone (趁早放弃 give it up now, before you waste more time).
- Blunter and more urgent than 尽早 (jǐnzǎo, as early as possible), which is neutral and polite; 趁早 often implies "or you'll regret it."