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本来

běnlái

1. adjective original (attributive)

   这就是它本来的颜色。

   Zhè jiù shì tā běnlái de yánsè.

   This is its original color.

2. adverb originally; at first

   我本来想去，后来有事没去成。

   Wǒ běnlái xiǎng qù, hòulái yǒu shì méi qùchéng.

   I originally wanted to go, but something came up and I couldn't.

3. adverb it goes without saying; by rights

   这件事本来就该他做。

   Zhè jiàn shì běnlái jiù gāi tā zuò.

   This was his job to do in the first place.

The full ChinesePath dictionary entry for 本来 includes audio for every reading and example sentence, more example sentences, collocations, synonyms and links to the course units where it is taught.