It was already the third tone. Early on, modern Chinese standardized first-level characters (commonly used characters), and the Mandarin pronunciation was zǎo.

Early zǎo ㄗㄠˇ

1. When the sun comes out: ~morning. ~Late.

2. Time is forward, a certain time ago: ~ retreat. ~Love. ~Hui (smart in childhood). ~ Decline. ~ Pass away (die early).

3. Time comes first, once upon a time: ~ period. ~Spring. ~Already.

Early? zǎo

〈Name〉

(1) (Knowing. Small seal character shape, with "日" on the top and "A" on the bottom. "A" "" was originally written like "十", which means the skin is cracked, or something is broken. "Morning" means that the day is about to break, and the sun breaks through the darkness and splits out. The original meaning is: morning)

(2) Same as the original meaning [early morning]

Morning, morning. ——"Shuowen"

Early in the morning. ——"Poetry·Zhaonan·Xiaoxing" Shu

It is called Laofu. ——"Laozi"

Think about it morning and night. ——"Original Destruction" by Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty

Early orioles compete for warmth in the trees. ——Bai Juyi of the Tang Dynasty, "Spring Journey to Qiantang Lake"

My ears are heard in the morning and evening. ——Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty, "Liu Hedong Collection"

Leave early and return in the evening. ——"Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio·Promoting Weaving"

(3) Another example: early in the morning (early morning); tomorrow morning (tomorrow morning); go out early and come back late (stay out all day); get up early and wait until dark; early morning (morning sky) ); zaijiao (the morning horn sound); zaozhao (morning morning ginseng); zaishan (eat breakfast); zaoxia (morning glow); morning hall (in the old days, when the government sat in the office in the morning to conduct business, it was called "morning hall"); early in the morning

(4) Surname