当初

• Pinyin: dāng chū
• Hanzi breakdown: 当 (at/when) + 初 (beginning/initial)

Meaning

At the beginning; originally; back then. Refers to the time when something first started or a decision was first made.

Often used when reflecting on past decisions or initial conditions, sometimes with a sense of regret or contrast with the present. Frequently appears in sentences comparing past intentions with current outcomes.

Examples

1. 当初我不应该放弃学钢琴。 I shouldn't have given up learning piano in the first place.
2. 他当初选择了这份工作，现在很满意。 He chose this job back then and is now very satisfied.
3. 如果当初听了你的建议就好了。 If only I had taken your advice at the time.

Usage Guide

Context: reflection, storytelling, everyday

Tone: reflective

Do Say

• 当初我们一起上大学。(Back then, we went to university together.)
• 她当初为什么要出国？(Why did she want to go abroad in the first place?)

Don't Say

• 当初明天我要去 (Don't use 当初 for future plans — it strictly refers to the past, not the future)

Origin & History

Compound of 当 (at that time) and 初 (beginning, initial), literally 'at-the-beginning.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal