English–Chinese
“initially” in Chinese
Chinese
Pronunciation
Pinyindāng chū
Example
他当初打算去留学。tā dāng chū dǎ suàn qù liú xué
He initially planned to study abroad.
How to say “initially” in Chinese
“Initially” in Chinese is 当初 (dāng chū).
The starting point of an earlier situation, viewed against what happened later.
Example sentences with 当初
我当初以为这件事很简单，后来才知道不一样。wǒ dāng chū yǐ wéi zhè jiàn shì hěn jiǎn dān hòu lái cái zhī dào bù yí yàng
I initially thought this was simple, but later found out it was different.
Tips for using 当初
- Because it looks backward from the present, this word suits a past plan or condition that may later change, rather than a general statement about how things begin.