本来 ...
Use 本来 to set up an 'originally / by default / it was supposed to be' framing — usually as a launching pad for a contrast with what actually happened. 本来今天应该下雨 ('It was supposed to rain today') sets the stage for 'but the sun came out'. It can also state an original state of affairs neutrally ('originally, I'm from Beijing'), but the contrast use is more common.
Structure
本来 [ORIGINAL-PLAN/STATE]，（后来）[WHAT-HAPPENED-INSTEAD]
běnlái...
How to Think About It
本来 means 'in its original state' — it points to how things were before reality intervened. When a Chinese speaker reaches for 本来, they're almost always about to flip the script. Listeners hear 本来 and brace for a 'but' moment. Use it without a follow-up contrast and it still works, but the sentence will feel slightly incomplete to a native ear.
Examples
本来，今天的新闻应该都在说这个球。
Běnlái, jīntiān de xīnwén yīnggāi dōu zài shuō zhè ge qiú.
Originally, today's news should have been all about this goal.
本来维尼修斯昨天晚上的表现是完美的。
Běnlái Wéiníxiūsī zuótiān wǎnshang de biǎoxiàn shì wánměi de.
Vinícius's performance last night had been perfect, originally.
我本来想今天去爬山，可是下雨了。
Wǒ běnlái xiǎng jīntiān qù páshān, kěshì xià yǔ le.
I'd planned to go hiking today, but it rained.
Common Mistake
Learners use 本来 to mean 'of course' or 'naturally' (the way English 'originally' can drift toward 'inherently'). 本来 specifically means 'at the original starting point' — a time-anchored sense, not a logical one. For 'of course' use 当然.
他本来很聪明，所以考得很好。
他当然很聪明，所以考得很好。
Don't Confuse With
原来……
Two meanings: (1) same as 本来 — 'originally / at first' — and (2) 'as it turns out' / 'so that's why'. The second meaning is what 本来 doesn't have. 原来你在这儿! = 'Oh, so you're here!'
本来就……
本来就 plus a stative verb means 'X was already that way to begin with' — defending a state against a wrong assumption. 他本来就不喜欢咖啡 = 'He never liked coffee in the first place'.
当初……
当初 points to a specific past moment of decision ('back at the time we decided'), often with regret. 本来 is broader, less personal, and doesn't require a decision.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 我___想给你打电话，后来太忙忘了。
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本来
Fill in the blank: 本来今天会议是在十点，___推迟到了下午。
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现在
Arrange: 来 / 我 / 本来 / 不想 (I didn't want to come, originally.)
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我本来不想来。
Translate to Chinese: I had originally planned to leave early, but my friend showed up.
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我本来打算早点走，但是朋友来了。
Use 本来 to describe an original plan that changed.
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我本来想周末在家好好休息，结果朋友约我去看电影，我就出去了。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 本来 ... in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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