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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing "earliest" with 最早 (zuìzǎo)

    Comparison
    Sequence & Order

    Structure

    最早 + 的 + Noun

    Explanation

    最早 (zuìzǎo) means "earliest" or "first" and is the superlative form of 早 (early). It is used to identify the first occurrence of something in time, as in 最早的记录 (the earliest record) or 据说最早是在… (it is said the earliest was in…).

    Examples

    • 这是目前发现的最早的陶器。

      zhè shì mùqián fāxiàn de zuìzǎo de táoqì.

      This is the earliest pottery discovered so far.

    • 他是我们班最早到教室的人。

      tā shì wǒmen bān zuìzǎo dào jiàoshì de rén.

      He is the person who arrives at the classroom earliest in our class.

    • 最早的汉字出现在三千多年前。

      zuìzǎo de hànzì chūxiàn zài sānqiān duō nián qián.

      The earliest Chinese characters appeared over three thousand years ago.

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    Expressing "earliest" with 最早 (zuìzǎo) | Chinese Grammar