Dictionary › 本来

本来

běn lái

Old HSK 4 HSK 3.0 level 4 2-character word Traditional 本來

本来 (běn lái) means "originally; at first". It is an HSK 3.0 level 4 word, and was HSK 4 in the old six-level list.

What 本来 means

1. original
2. originally
3. at first
4. it goes without saying
5. of course

How 本来 is used in grammar

本来 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Time Adverbs: 本来, 才, 曾经, 从来, 立刻 (HSK 3)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 4, adverbs (时间副词).

The characters in 本来

• 本běn(bound form) root; stem; (bound form) origin; source; (bound form) one's own; this
• 来láito come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb)…

Example sentences

• 你本来可以做的。
  You could have done it.

Words starting with 本来

• 本来面目běn lái miàn mù(idiom) true colors; true features; original appearance

Where 本来 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Modal & certainty adverbs (HSK 4), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 4 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read běn lái correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.