What is the meaning of うちから


This is part of a reading comprehension question in the JLPT 1 exam. [Complete
question](https://translationifk.com/ja/luyen-thi-jlpt-n1-ngu-phap-va-doc-
hieu-de-so-1-ifk/).

It's actually an excerpt from 「(ほんとうの自分）のつくり方ーー自己物語の心理学」

> 自分の姿がおぼろげにしか見えないうちから、まずは語ることを始めなければならない

What does ないうちから mean? And what does the entire sentence mean?




うち in this case means "enclosure". It could be a group of things, a time
period, etc.

This is the clause that modifies うち

> 自分の姿がおぼろげにしか見えない

> A shape of yourself (kind of like your true self) is nothing but vaguely
> visible.

Adding うちから

> 自分の姿がおぼろげにしか見えないうちから  
>  From the enclosure (of time) when your shape is nothing but vaguely visible

The whole sentence:

> 自分の姿がおぼろげにしか見えないうちから、まずは語ることを始めなければならない  
>  From the enclosure (of time) when a shape of yourself is nothing but
> vaguely visible, firstly you must start talking (to yourself).

I think the nuance of うちから is something like "as soon as". We also have まず...

So, idiomatically:

> As soon as you get a glimpse of your true self, you must, before anything
> else, start talking to yourself.

