Chinese–EnglishWith examples

当初

dāng chū · dang chu

Traditional 當初

HSK 3Old HSK 6

Meaning

CC-CEDICT
  1. at that time
  2. originally
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In a conversation

0:17 cartoon

The gym card

  1. Liangliang

    灯灯(dēngdēng)，你(nǐ)的(de)健身卡(jiànshēnkǎ)还(hái)在(zài)用(yòng)吗(ma)？

    Dengdeng, do you still use your gym card?

  2. Dengdeng

    当初(dāngchū)我(wǒ)说(shuō)每天(měitiān)都(dōu)去(qù)。

    Back then I said I would go every day.

  3. Liangliang

    现在(xiànzài)去(qù)了(le)几次(jǐcì)了(le)？

    How many times have you been now?

  4. Dengdeng

    去(qù)了(le)两次(liǎngcì)，一次(yīcì)是(shì)办卡(bànkǎ)那天(nàtiān)。

    Twice. One was the day I got the card.

  5. Liangliang

    当初(dāngchū)就(jiù)不该(bùgāi)办(bàn)啊(a)！

    We should never have got it back then!

  6. Dengdeng

    当初(dāngchū)你(nǐ)还(hái)夸(kuā)我(wǒ)呢(ne)。

    Back then you even praised me.

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In a sentence

2 examples
01

我(wǒ)当(dāng)初(chū)要(yào)是(shi)买(mǎi)音(yīn)乐(yuè)会(huì)的(de)票(piào)就(jiù)好(hǎo)了(le)。

I wish I had bought a ticket for the concert.

Tatoeba: Chinese by notabene · English by CK · CC BY 2.0 FR. Pinyin added or corrected.

02

当(dāng)初(chū)我(wǒ)们(men)都(dōu)不(bù)相(xiāng)信(xìn)他(tā)会(huì)成(chéng)功(gōng)。

At that time, none of us believed he would succeed.

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How to write

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Mainland China stroke order, including traditional characters. Drawing sources & licenses.

The characters

Explore individually
当
dāng

to be; to act as

初
chū

at first; (at the) beginning

Individual character meanings do not always explain the meaning of a whole word.

Definitions adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG and its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Pinyin display and entry grouping have been adapted.

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