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自古以來

简自古以来 · 繁自古以來

Mandarin · pinyin zì gǔ yǐ lái

since ancient times

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Characters in this entry

自: zì · self, private, personal; from; Kangxi radical 132
古: gǔ · old, classic, ancient
以: yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
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

4–3–3–2 · zi4 gu3 yi3 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.

自古以來 · find source passages ↗ · 自古以来 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zi6 gu2 ji5 loi4

Cantonese word readings for 自古以來. 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.

adv

from time immemorial; since ancient times

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

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