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古來

简古来 · 繁古來

Mandarin · pinyin gǔ lái

since ancient times; it has ever been the case that

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Characters in this entry

古: gǔ · old, classic, ancient
來: lái · come, coming; return, returning
来: lái · come, coming; return, returning

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–2 · gu3 lai2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

古來 · find source passages ↗ · 古来 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 3 senses

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

adv · Etymology 1

(literary) from time immemorial; since ancient times

name · Etymology 2

(～縣) Kulai District (a district of Johor, Malaysia)
Kulai (a town, the capital of Kulai district, Johor, Malaysia)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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