早知

zǎozhī
to know in advance

CEDICT

to know earlier

Wiktionary

Entry Composition

1 早 zǎo
  1. early
  2. morning
  3. Good morning!
  4. long ago
  5. prematurely
2 知 zhī
  1. to know
  2. to be aware

Containing this entry

早知今日何必当初 zǎozhījīnrìhébìdāngchū
  1. if I (you, she, he...) had known it would come to this, I (you, she, he...) would not have acted thus (idiom)
  2. to regret vainly one's past behavior
早知道 zǎozhīdao If I had known earlier...