Meaning
当初 refers to a point in the past, often the beginning of something or when a decision was made. It carries a reflective tone, looking back at how things were or what someone thought or did at an earlier time. It's commonly used when contrasting the past with the present situation.
Usage
Native speakers use 当初 when recalling past decisions, situations, or states, often with a sense of reflection or regret. It frequently appears in sentences that compare past and present circumstances. Common in both spoken and written language, it's slightly more formal than just saying 那时候 (at that time).
Examples
- 01当初我就不该答应他。.I shouldn't have agreed to him back then.
- 02想当初，我们还是大学同学呢。, .Thinking back, we were university classmates at that time.
Characters
Common collocations
- 当初的决定the original decision
- 早知当初if only I had known back then
- 想当初thinking back to that time
Antonyms
Origin
当 means 'at (the time of)' and 初 means 'beginning', together forming 'at the beginning' or 'at that initial time'. The word emphasizes the starting point or original state of something.