提早

• Pinyin: tí zǎo
• Hanzi breakdown: 提 = 扌(hand) + 是 (is) — to raise; 早 = 日 (sun) + 十 (ten) — early morning

Meaning

To advance; to move up (in time); earlier than planned.

Used when something happens or is scheduled before the original time. Similar to 提前 but slightly more colloquial. Common in scheduling, planning, and everyday time adjustments.

Examples

1. 台风要来了，公司决定提早放假，让大家早点回家。 A typhoon is coming, so the company decided to end work early and let everyone go home.
2. 因为航班取消，我们不得不提早两天结束行程。 Because the flight was canceled, we had to end our trip two days early.
3. 她提早半小时到达会场，确保一切准备就绪。 She arrived at the venue half an hour early to make sure everything was ready.

Usage Guide

Context: scheduling, planning, everyday

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 会议提早了一个小时。(The meeting was moved up an hour.)
• 我提早出门了。(I left earlier than usual.)

Don't Say

• 把延迟说成'提早' (Don't use 提早 for delays — it specifically means earlier, not later)

Origin & History

提 means to advance, 早 means early — advancing to an earlier time.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal