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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 在二十世纪早期 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. 现在说经济会受到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决定。 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 Timea1The earliest mention of the village is in a sixteenth-century manuscript. 最早提到这个村庄是在16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. 从幼年起，他的健康状况就很差。 during the early part of December 在12月初 An earlier version of this article appeared online. 这篇文章的早期版本出现在网上。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- feel
- seem
- …
- extremely
- fairly
- very
- …
- for
- in
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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 ExamplesI'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
-
belonging to the beginning of a period of history or a cultural movement 早期的；初期的；早先的 The gallery has an unrivalled collection of early twentieth-century art. 该美术馆收藏了无与伦比的20世纪早期艺术品。 the early modern period from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century 从十五世纪到十八世纪的早期现代时期 The main construction of the fort belongs to the early medieval period. 这座堡垒的主要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典范。
opposite late
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
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business 商业 as soon as possible 尽早；尽快 Please contact us at your earliest convenience. 请尽早联系我们。
bright and early
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！
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. 突然我们提前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. 在埃利斯和威尔金斯的努力下，该队早早就赢得了比赛。
the early/small hours
(also especially Scottish English the wee small hours, especially North American English the wee hours)
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。我们不知道这出戏是否会成功。