來
to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3 yi3 lai2]); for the past (amount of time); (prefix) the coming ...; the next ... (as in 來世|来世[lai2 shi4]); (between two verbs) in order to; (after a round number) approximately; (used after 得[de2] to indicate possibility, as in 談得來|谈得来[tan2 de5 lai2], or after 不[bu4] to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不來|吃不来[chi1 bu5 lai2])
Closest English meanings
come·arrive·since·future·toward
The Calligrapher — Yán Zhēnqīng 颜真卿
Tang master of robust regular script; co-creator of the enduring 'Yan style'.
Tang calligrapher (709–784), master of regular script/running script — the Tang moral paragon whose upright, muscular regular script became the model of Chinese integrity in writing. Tang dynasty
Cultural Story
來 is arrival. The 诗经 sings 往来 of friends on the road; Confucius asks why a man would not 來. The 易经 reads the 将来 in the lines. A traveler 回来 at dusk, and things 本来 as they were. To write 來 is to draw a line from there to here.
Common words & phrases
- 往来 come and go · contacts · dealings
- 将来 future · in the future · coming
- 后来 later · afterwards · then
- 回来 return · come back · get back
- 本来 originally · at first · of course
Read the story behind the character
A bus app shows the 往来 of the route; a message says 回来 by nine. The plan files the 将来 goals, and a note says 后来 the shop closed. At the door someone asks if you 本来 lived here. Coming, returning, and what-was all move through this character.
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