初 chū

1. chū adverb at first; at the beginning; initially
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
   Notes: 初 is used in both Literary Chinese as Modern Chinese in this sense and is often used at the start of a sentence (CED '初' 1; Kroll 2015 '初' 1; NCCED '初' 1; Pulleyblank 1995, p. 11).
2. chū prefix used to prefix numbers
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
   Notes: Especially the first several days of the month in the lunar calendar (NCCED '初' 4)
3. chū prefix used as a prefix incidating the first time or part of something
   Domain: Modern Chinese 现代汉语
   Notes: For example, 初年 'early years' (CED '初' 2; Kroll 2015 '初' 2; NCCED '初' 2; Sun 2006, loc. 691)
4. chū adverb just now
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (Kroll 2015 '初' 3)
5. chū particle thereupon
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (Kroll 2015 '初' 4)
6. chū adverb an intensifying adverb
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (Kroll 2015 '初' 5)
7. chū adjective rudimentary; elementary
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: For example, 初级 'elementary level' (CED '初' 4; NCCED '初' 6)
8. chū adjective original
   Domain: Literary Chinese 文言文
   Notes: (CED '初' 5; NCCED '初' 3)

Contained in

• 月初 start of month; early in the month
• 初露锋芒(初露鋒芒) first sign of budding talent; to display one's ability for the first time
• 起初 at first; at the outset
• 年初 beginning of the year
• 和好如初 to bury the hatchet; to become reconciled
• 初始 initial; first
• 初等教育 primary education
• 初设(初設) first founded
• 躲得过初一，躲不过十五(躲得過初一，躲不過十五) you may go undetected during the new moon, but at full moon you'll be found out; you can't put it off forever
• 初夏 early summer
• 开初(開初) at the outset; at first; early
• 初吉 first day of the lunar month ; beginning luck
• 初四 fourth day of the lunar month
• 格林尼治本初子午线(格林尼治本初子午線) the Greenwich meridian
• 初文 archaic (and simpler) form of a Chinese character
• 初日分 morning
• 初中生 junior high student
• 初生 newborn; nascent; primary
• 一本初衷 according to original intention
• 太初 the absolute beginning ; the Way ; ancient; early period ; Taichu
• 初十 tenth day of the lunar month
• 初会遇(初會遇) first encounter
• 唐初四大家 Four Great Calligraphers of early Tang
• 初创公司(初創公司) new company; newly established enterprise
• 初五 fifth day of the lunar month
• 初小 lower elementary school
• 本初子午线(本初子午線) the first meridian; the prime meridian
• 初冬 early winter
• 初八 eighth day of a lunar month ; seventh day of the lunar month
• 初露头角(初露頭角) to first show one's horns; a first show of emerging talent; first sign of emerging talent
• 初祖 first patriarch; founder
• 初夜 early evening ; wedding night
• 早知今日何必当初(早知今日何必當初) if I (you, she, he...) had known it would come to this, I (you, she, he...) would not have acted thus
• 初七 seventh day of the lunar month
• 初试身手(初試身手) to have a try; to try one's hand; initial foray
• 初级(初級) junior; primary
• 初期 initial stage; beginning period
• 初稿 an initial draft
• 初年 early years ; the first spring month

Also contained in

民初 、 凌濛初 、 载初 、 明初 、 阿初佛 、 初声 、 唐初八史 、 凌蒙初 、 初发心 、 初唐 、 清末民初 、 张静初

Word is mentioned most frequently in

Truncated for common words

• 卷30　志第25 地理中 Volume 30 Treatises 25: Geography 2 Book of Sui 隋書 — count: 383
• 卷29　志第24 地理上 Volume 29 Treatises 24: Geography 1 Book of Sui 隋書 — count: 310
• 卷31　志第26 地理下 Volume 31 Treatises 26: Geography 3 Book of Sui 隋書 — count: 277
• 卷五十三　志第五:　　曆二 Volume 53 Treatises 6: Calendar 2 History of Yuan 元史 — count: 122
• 卷三十三 志第十三: 曆二 Volume 33 Treatises 13: Calendar 2 Old Book of Tang 舊唐書 — count: 112
• 卷三十四 志第十四: 曆三 Volume 34 Treatises 14: Calendar 3 Old Book of Tang 舊唐書 — count: 109
• 卷五十八　志第十: 　地理一 Volume 58 Treatises 11: Geography 1 History of Yuan 元史 — count: 107
• 卷七十五 志第二十八 律曆八 Volume 75 Treatises 28: Measures and Calendar 8 History of Song 宋史 — count: 100
• 卷三十八 志第二十八 州郡四 Volume 38 Treatises 28: Administrative Districts 4 Book of Song 宋書 — count: 86
• 卷三十七 志第二十七 州郡三 Volume 37 Treatises 27: Administrative Districts 3 Book of Song 宋書 — count: 83