起初

• 拼音: qǐ chū
• 汉字拆解: 起 = 走 + 己 (start); 初 = 衤(clothing) + 刀 (knife) (initial — first cut of cloth)

含义

At first; initially; at the outset. Refers to the early stage or beginning of a process, event, or period.

Used as an adverbial or nominal phrase to mark a contrast between early and later states. Commonly paired with 后来/最终 to show development or change over time. Slightly more formal and literary than 最初.

例句

1. 他起初对这份工作并不感兴趣，后来却渐渐爱上了这个充满挑战的行业。
2. 起初，项目进展十分顺利，然而数月后便遭遇了严峻的资金危机。
3. 这两位科学家起初意见相左，经过深入探讨后终于凝聚了共识。

用法指南

语境: narrative, history, reflection

语气: neutral

正确说法

• 起初，没有人相信他的发明会有实际价值，但事实最终证明他们都错了。(At first, nobody believed his invention would have any practical value, but events ultimately proved them all wrong.)
• 这座城市起初只是一个小渔村，几十年间迅速发展为举足轻重的国际化都市。(This city was initially just a small fishing village, but rapidly developed into a prominent international metropolis over several decades.)

错误说法

• 起初我起床后很困 — 起初 introduces a narrative contrast with a later development; it does not simply mean 'earlier today'; use 刚才/早上 for recent or same-day events

起源与历史

起 (start/beginning) + 初 (initial/early) — the early beginning

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal