dāng chū
au commencement; originellement; en premier lieu
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当初我以为他会来，结果他没来。
Dāngchū wǒ yǐwéi tā huì lái, jiéguǒ tā méi lái.
I thought he would come at first, but he didn't.
当初我们说好了一起去旅行，结果他临时有事，没去成。
Dāngchū wǒmen shuōhǎole yīqǐ qù lǚxíng, jiéguǒ tā línshí yǒu shì, méi qùchéng.
We had agreed to travel together at first, but he had something to do and couldn't go.
当初我以为我会考上大学，结果我落榜了。
Dāngchū wǒ yǐwéi wǒ huì kǎoshàng dàxué, jiéguǒ wǒ luòbǎngle.
I thought I would be admitted to university at first, but I failed the exam.
现在 (xiànzài)
now
如今 (rújīn)
nowadays
The Chinese word 当初 (dāngchū) is composed of two characters: 当 (dāng) and 初 (chū). 当 can mean "to be in charge of," "to be responsible for," or "to be appropriate." 初 can mean "beginning," "first," or "original." Together, 当初 means "at the beginning," "in the beginning," or "originally."The word 当初 is often used to refer to the past, especially to the beginning of something. For example, you could say 当初我很穷 (dāngchū wǒ hěn qióng), which means "I was very poor in the beginning." You could also say 当初我想当医生 (dāngchū wǒ xiǎng dāng yīshēng), which means "I wanted to be a doctor in the beginning."The word 当初 can also be used to refer to the future, especially to the beginning of something. For example, you could say 当初我想去北京 (dāngchū wǒ xiǎng qù Běijīng), which means "I wanted to go to Beijing in the beginning." You could also say 当初我想学中文 (dāngchū wǒ xiǎng xué zhōngwén), which means "I wanted to learn Chinese in the beginning."The word 当初 is a versatile word that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is a useful word to know for HSK learners who want to be able to talk about the past and the future.
