DICTIONARY
The Chinese word benlai - 本来 - běnlái
(original in Chinese)
Phonetic script (Hanyu Pinyin)
běnlái
Listen to pronunciation
(Mandarin = standard Chinese without accent)
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English translations
original, originally, of course, at first,
primary
Chinese characters:
For obtaining stroke order animations, visit the links to the individual characters below.
本来 ( benlai / běnlái ) in traditional characters
本來
Chinese Pinyin example sentence with 本来 ( benlai / běnlái ) ⓘWriting in Pinyin
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Wo benlai xiang qu, keshi tai mang le.
Wǒ běnlái xiǎng qù, kěshì tài máng le.– English translation: I originally wanted to go, but I was too busy.
Tags and additional information
(Meaning of individual characters, character components etc.)
also: origin | also: coming
本来 ( benlai / běnlái ) belongs to the 500 most common composed words in Chinese language (rank 351)
本来 ( benlai / běnlái ) belongs to the 500 most common composed words in Chinese language (rank 351)
More words that mean originally in Chinese
zuìchū ( 最初 )
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Version 5.52 / Last updated: 2026-11-03