Chinese phrase
早知道我就不〜了 zǎo zhī dào wǒ jiù bù 〜 le
Meaning
If I had known earlier I would not have ___
When to use it
Regrets an action taken without earlier knowledge. It suggests that knowing sooner would have led to a different choice, often in an apology.
Example dialogue
你为什么拿走我的积木？ nǐ wèi shén me ná zǒu wǒ de jī mù
Why did you take my building blocks?
早知道我就不拿了，对不起，还给你。 zǎo zhī dào wǒ jiù bù ná le duì bù qǐ huán gěi nǐ
If I'd known earlier, I wouldn't have taken them. Sorry, I'll give them back.