Zhōngguó de xiàndàihuà jìnchéng zhàoshǐ yú shíjiǔ shìjì zhōngyè.
China's modernization began in the mid-nineteenth century.
Tips
usage
肇始 is very formal; everyday words are 开始 (to begin) and 起源 (origin). The usual frame is 肇始于 plus a time or place. 肇 alone also means to start, as in 肇事 (to cause an accident or trouble).
