ear·ly
adjective OPAL WOPAL S
/ˈɜːli/
/ˈɜːrli/
(comparative earlier, superlative earliest)
Idioms - near the beginning of a period of time, an event etc.
早期的；初期的；早先的 - the early morning
清晨 - my earliest memories
我最早的记忆 - The project is still in the early stages.
这个项目仍处于初期阶段。 - the early 1990s
20 世纪 90 年代初 - in the early years of the twentieth century
二十世纪初期 - in the early days of space exploration (= when it was just beginning)
在太空探索初期 - it is too early to do something It is too early to tell how badly the economy will be affected.
现在判断经济将受多大影响还为时过早。 - He's in his early twenties.
他二十出头。 - Mozart’s early works (= those written at the beginning of his career)
莫扎特的早期作品 - Early booking is essential, as space is limited.
座位有限，务必早日预订。 - The ruling overturned the court’s earlier decision.
该裁决推翻了法院先前的裁决。 - The earliest possible date I can make it is the third.
我最早也要到三号才有时间出席。 - The earliest description of this species dates from 1703.
对这个物种的最早描述可以追溯到 1703 年。
Extra ExamplesTopics Timea1- The earliest mention of the village is in a sixteenth-century manuscript.
最早提到这个村庄是在一份十六世纪的手稿中。 - These discoveries were made at a surprisingly early date.
这些发现早得出奇。 - From early childhood he suffered from very poor health.
从童年起，他的健康状况就很差。 - during the early part of December
12月初期间 - An earlier version of this article appeared online.
本文的早期版本出现在网上。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- seem
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- for
- in
- the early morning
- arriving, or done before the usual, expected or planned time
早到的；提前的；提早的 - You're early! I wasn't expecting you till seven.
你来得真早！我还以为你七点钟才能到呢。 - The bus was ten minutes early.
公共汽车早到了十分钟。 - an early breakfast
很早的早餐 - He learnt to play the piano at an early age.
他早年就学会了弹钢琴。 - Let's make an early start tomorrow.
咱们明天一早就出发吧。 - She's an early riser (= she gets up early in the morning).
她是个习惯于早起的人。 - early potatoes (= that are available before other types of potato)
早下来的土豆
Extra Examples- I'm sorry I'm a bit early.
对不起，我来得早了点儿。 - It's a little early for lunch.
吃午饭还早了点儿。 - Victoria has decided to take early retirement.
维多利亚决定提前退休。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- seem
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- for
- in
- You're early! I wasn't expecting you till seven.
- belonging to the beginning of a period of history or a cultural movement
（历史时期或文化运动）早期的 - The gallery has an unrivalled collection of early twentieth-century art.
这家美术馆的 20 世纪早期艺术收藏无与伦比。 - the early modern period from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century
从十五世纪到十八世纪的近代早期 - The main construction of the fort belongs to the early medieval period.
堡垒的主体建筑属于中世纪早期。 - The painting is a fine example of early Impressionism.
这幅画是早期印象派的一个很好的例子。
- The gallery has an unrivalled collection of early twentieth-century art.
Word OriginOld English (as an adverb) ǣrlīce (see ere, -ly), influenced by Old Norse árliga. The adjective use dates from Middle English.
Idioms
at your earliest convenience
- (business) as soon as possible
尽早；尽快 - Please contact us at your earliest convenience.
请尽早与我们联系。
- Please contact us at your earliest convenience.
bright and early
- very early in the morning
黎明；破晓；清晨 - You're up bright and early today!
你今天起得很早啊！
- You're up bright and early today!
an early bird
- (humorous) a person who gets up, arrives, etc. very early
早起者；早到者；赶早者；捷足先登者 - You’re an early bird this morning!
你今天起得真早啊！
- You’re an early bird this morning!
the early bird catches the worm
- (saying) the person who takes the opportunity to do something before other people will have an advantage over them
捷足先登；捷足先得
early doors
- (British English, informal) at an early stage, especially in a game or competition
在初期；在开始阶段；早先 - Suddenly we lost three home matches early doors.
突然我们早早就输掉了三场主场比赛。 - The team had the game in the bag early doors after tries from Ellis and Wilkins.
经过埃利斯和威尔金斯的尝试，球队很快就锁定了胜局。
- Suddenly we lost three home matches early doors.
the early/small hours
(also especially Scottish English the wee small hours, especially North American English the wee hours)
- the period of time very early in the morning, soon after midnight
午夜刚过的一段时间；凌晨时分 - The fighting began in the early hours of Saturday morning.
战斗在星期六凌晨打响了。 - The party continued well into the early hours.
聚会一直持续到第二天凌晨。
- The fighting began in the early hours of Saturday morning.
it’s early days (yet) | it's still early days
- (British English) used to say that it is too soon to be sure how a situation will develop
为时尚早；言之过早 - It’s early days yet. We don’t know if the play will be a success.
现在还为时尚早。不知道这部剧能否成功。
- It’s early days yet. We don’t know if the play will be a success.