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原來

简原来 · 繁原來

Mandarin · pinyin yuán lái

original; former
originally; formerly; at first
so, actually, as it turns out

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Characters in this entry

原: yuán · source, origin, beginning
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

2–2 · yuan2 lai2

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3character links1same-tone record

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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.

原來 · find source passages ↗ · 原来 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jyun4 loi4

Cantonese word readings for 原來. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

noun

the beginning; the past

adj

(attributive) original

adv

originally
as it turns out; in fact; in the end

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

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