早就
zǎo jiù · HSK 2
already at an earlier time
⏰ 早 = early + 就 = already/then; together: already long ago
早 means early (sun 日 over a base), and 就 means already or then. Stacked, 早就 marks an action completed well before now — not just 'already' but 'already a while back'.
早 — sun 日 + ten 十 (originally 甲, a helmet/sprout)
Originally depicted the sun 日 rising above a sprouting plant or a person's head, suggesting the early morning when the sun first appears. The lower component was simplified over time into 十. The core meaning 'morning, early' has remained stable since oracle bone script.
就 — 京 (capital) + 尤 (especially)
Originally a compound suggesting going to a high place (京 depicts a tall building) to settle or accomplish something. Over time the meaning shifted from 'approach a high place' to 'go to,' then broadened to 'accomplish,' and finally to the modern grammatical senses 'then,' 'just,' or 'precisely.'