原来 - Expressing "all along"
HSK 4
In Mandarin, 原来 (yuánlái) is a word with layered meanings that often reveal something that has been true "all along."
As an adverb, it can mean “originally” or “all along” and conveys a sense of sudden realization—almost like saying, “Oh, so it’s been like this the whole time!” For instance, if you just found out that your friend is the teacher’s son, you might say, 原来他是老师的儿子！ (Turns out he’s the teacher’s son!)
As an adjective, 原来 can mean “original” or “former,” as in 原来的家 (the former home). It’s also helpful to distinguish 原来 from 本来 (běnlái): while 本来 refers to an initial plan or intent that might have changed (like “I originally planned to go swimming”), 原来 reveals something previously unknown, often with surprise. In conversation, 原来 adds that “aha!” element to discoveries, highlighting how something has quietly existed beneath the surface—until now.
Sample Sentences
原来你会说中文！Turns out you can speak Chinese!
我找了半天，原来钱包在桌子上。I was looking everywhere, and it turns out the wallet was on the table all along.
原来这是你做的蛋糕，难怪这么好吃！So you made this cake—that’s why it’s so delicious!
In a Text
昨天我和朋友约好去爬山，结果到了集合地点，只有我一个人。我打电话给她，她很着急地跟我说：“你已经到了吗？原来今天是周六，我一直以为是周日！”我们相视一笑，最后还是决定一起去吃午饭代替。吃饭的时候，我提到很久没见到她的小狗，她才告诉我，原来她的小狗前几个月生病了，一直在家休养。我听了有点儿心疼，原来这些事我都不知道。我们聊了很久，才发现原来我们俩都有很多生活中的小秘密，从来没跟对方说过。
Yesterday, my friend and I planned to go hiking, but when I arrived at the meeting spot, I was the only one there. I called her, and she said in a hurry, "You’re already there? Turns out today is Saturday—I thought it was Sunday all along!” We both laughed, and in the end, we decided to have lunch together instead. During lunch, I mentioned that I hadn’t seen her dog in a while, and she told me that, actually, her dog had gotten sick a few months ago and had been resting at home. I felt a bit sad hearing this; turns out I hadn’t known about any of it. We chatted for a long time and realized that we both had a lot of little secrets in our lives that we’d never shared with each other.
