従来

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 従来(じゅうらい) describes the established state or way of doing things up to the present.
• Basic usage: It appears in 従来の方法 for an established method or 従来より when comparing something new with what came before.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Continuity compared with 以前
  • 以前(いぜん) broadly refers to a time before a reference point. 従来 emphasizes a practice or state that had continued in use, rather than just any earlier time.