本来

本來

běnlái

adverb HSK 3 #716

Meanings

我本来想去，但是后来没去。

Wǒ běnlái xiǎng qù, dànshì hòulái méi qù.

I originally planned to go, but didn't end up going.

这本来就是你的东西。

Zhè běnlái jiù shì nǐ de dōngxi.

This was yours to begin with.

他本来很高兴，听到消息后不高兴了。

Tā běnlái hěn gāoxìng, tīng dào xiāoxi hòu bù gāoxìng le.

He was originally happy, but became unhappy after hearing the news.

学中文本来就不容易。

Xué Zhōngwén běnlái jiù bù róngyì.

Learning Chinese is inherently not easy.

grammar

本来 often implies a contrast: 'originally X, but then Y.' Pattern: 本来…，但是/可是/后来… This shows a change from the original state.

usage

本来就 means 'inherently / it has always been the case that': 这本来就不对 (This was wrong from the start).

本 běn

来 lái