自來

See also: 自来

Chinese

		from; self; oneself from; self; oneself; since	to come
trad. (自來)		自	來
simp. (自来)		自	来
anagram		來自／来自

Etymology

all along

From 自 (“since”) + 來 / 来 (lái, “since”), implying "since long".

spontaneous

From 自 (“self”) + 來 / 来 (lái, “to come”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zìlái

  (Zhuyin): ㄗˋ ㄌㄞˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi⁶ loi⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chū-lâi

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zìlái
    • Zhuyin: ㄗˋ ㄌㄞˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zìhlái
    • Wade–Giles: tzŭ⁴-lai²
    • Yale: dz̀-lái
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyhlai
    • Palladius: цзылай (czylaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵¹ laɪ̯³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi⁶ loi⁴
    • Yale: jih lòih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶ loi⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶ loi⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²² lɔːi̯²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chū-lâi
    • Tâi-lô: tsū-lâi
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zuxlaai
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡su²²⁻²¹ lai¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡su³³⁻¹¹ lai²⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡su²²⁻²¹ lai²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡su³³⁻²¹ lai²³/

Adverb

自來

1. (literary) all along; in the first place

Usage notes

Modern vernacular equivalents include 原來／原来 (yuánlái), 本來／本来 (běnlái) and 從來／从来 (cónglái).

Adjective

自來

1. (attributive) spontaneous; self-generated

Derived terms

• 自來水 / 自来水 (zìláishuǐ)
• 自來水筆 / 自来水笔 (zìláishuǐbǐ)
• 自來火 / 自来火 (zìláihuǒ)

 

See also

• (not to be confused with) 來自／来自 (láizì)