before; formerly; previously
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
before; formerly; previously; in the past
Refers to a time period in the past, often used in comparisons with the present or to indicate a former state.
Kàn看
nǐ你
xiě写
de的
zì字
，
bǐ比
zǎo早
xiān先
hǎo好
duō多
le了
。
Looking at your handwriting, it's much better than before.
Zǎo早
xiān先
zhè这
lǐ里
shì是
yī一
piàn片
huāng荒
dì地
，
xiàn现
zài在
yǐ已
jīng经
biàn变
chéng成
gōng公
yuán园
le了
。
This place used to be a wasteland, but now it has become a park.
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Tā他
zǎo早
xiān先
shì是
gè个
gōng工
rén人
，
hòu后
lái来
cái才
kǎo考
shàng上
dà大
xué学
。
He was a worker before, and only later got into university.