HSK 3.0 · LEVEL 3
本来
originally, at first, it goes without saying
Free Chinese vocabulary flashcard · HSK 3
Why does 本来 look like this?
The word is composed of two characters: 本 (běn), which depicts a tree (木) with a stroke at the bottom indicating its 'roots' or 'origin,' and 来 (lái), which originally pictured a wheat plant and now means 'to come.' Together, they signify 'originally' or 'from the beginning,' literally where something comes from at its root.