yǐ lái
since
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数十年以来，我国建立了许多工厂。
shù shí nián yǐ lái ，wǒ ɡuó jiàn lì le xǔ duō ɡōnɡ chǎnɡ .
Over the decades, many factories have been built in our country.
入冬以来，北方一直在下雪。
rù dōnɡ yǐ lái ，běi fānɡ yì zhí zài xià xuě .
It has been snowing in the north since winter.
一直以来我都在坚持锻炼。
yì zhí yǐ lái wǒ dōu zài jiān chí duàn liàn .
All this time I've been exercising consistently.
以来 (yǐ lái)
since
以来 (yǐ lái)
from
以前 (yǐqián)
before
过去 (guòqù)
past
The Chinese word 以来 (yǐlái) is a preposition that means "since" or "from". It is composed of two characters: 以 (yǐ), which means "to use" or "to take", and 来 (lái), which means "to come". The original meaning of 以来 is "to use something as a starting point", and it has been used in this sense since the Han Dynasty (206 BCE - 220 CE). Over time, the meaning of 以来 has expanded to include the meanings of "since" and "from".In modern Chinese, 以来 is used in a variety of contexts. It can be used to refer to a period of time, such as "自古以来" (zìgǔ yǐlái, "since ancient times") or "建国以来" (jiàn guó yǐlái, "since the founding of the People's Republic of China"). It can also be used to refer to a series of events, such as "改革开放以来" (gǎi gé kāi fàng yǐlái, "since the reform and opening up of China").以来 is a versatile word that can be used in a variety of ways to express the idea of "since" or "from". It is an important word for HSK learners to know, as it is used frequently in both spoken and written Chinese.
