当初

當初

dāngchū

noun HSK 3 #2,902

Meanings

当初我不应该答应他。

Dāngchū wǒ bù yīnggāi dāying tā.

I shouldn't have agreed to him back then.

当初你为什么选择这个专业？

Dāngchū nǐ wèishénme xuǎnzé zhège zhuānyè?

Why did you choose this major back then?

如果当初努力一点就好了。

Rúguǒ dāngchū nǔlì yīdiǎn jiù hǎo le.

If only I had worked harder back then.

usage

当初 often carries a sense of regret or reflection — looking back at a past decision.

mistakes

当初 refers to the beginning of a specific past situation. Don't confuse with 以前 which is more general.

当 dāng

初 chū