以往
yǐ wǎng · HSK 5
in the past
⏪ 以 = by/from + 往 = go/past; 'from times gone by' = formerly
以 marks a reference point (by, from), and 往 means to go or past times. Together 以往 literally reads as 'from past' — the period stretching back from now, i.e. formerly or in days gone by.
以 — phonetic 㠯 (plow/tool) + 人 (person)
Originally a pictograph of a hand-held plow or tool (㠯), later combined with 人 (person) to suggest 'using' something. The core meaning 'to use' extended metaphorically to 'by means of', 'with', and 'because of'. In modern Chinese it functions mainly as a grammatical particle.
往 — 彳 (step radical) + 主 (phonetic)
往 originally depicted a foot moving toward a place, with the 彳 radical signaling motion or walking. The right component 主 served mainly as a phonetic clue. Over time the meaning settled into 'to go (toward)' and, by extension, 'past' or 'previously'.