Early, already, and good morning — one arrow backward

Where the picture shows up in 早

1. 1

   I arrived early

   今天我来早了。

   jīntiān wǒ lái zǎo le

   I got in early today.

   Walking alone into an office where only half the lights are on

2. 2

   before the appointment

   您来得太早了，医生还没到。

   nín lái de tài zǎo le, yīshēng hái méi dào

   You're far too early — the doctor isn't in yet.

   Sitting alone on a chair in an empty corridor outside the consulting room

3. 3

   moved forward

   早点休息吧。

   zǎo diǎn xiūxi ba

   Get some rest early.

   The clock still reads early, but the light goes off and a body lies down

   早点 commonly means 'a bit earlier'

4. 4

   already, long since

   我早就说过了。

   wǒ zǎo jiù shuō guò le

   I already told you.

   Pointing back at words that were laid down a long way up the line

   早就 has set into the meaning 'already'

5. 5

   morning greeting

   老板早，今天有点堵车。

   lǎobǎn zǎo, jīntiān yǒudiǎn dǔchē

   Morning, boss — traffic was bad today.

   Two people meeting at dawn, heads dipping just slightly

   The front end of the day became the greeting itself