当初

• 拼音: dāng chū
• 汉字拆解: 当 (at/when) + 初 (beginning/initial)

含义

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.

例句

1. 当初我不应该放弃学钢琴。
2. 他当初选择了这份工作，现在很满意。
3. 如果当初听了你的建议就好了。

用法指南

语境: reflection, storytelling, everyday

语气: reflective

正确说法

• 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?)

错误说法

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

起源与历史

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

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal