[ dāngchū ] 1.(开始时) at the beginning; originally; at the outset; in the first place 短语和例子 当初打算在这儿盖一座大楼。 it was originally planned to put up a big building here. 当初你就不该这么做。 you should never have acted the way you did in the first place. 早知今日, 何必当初? if i had known it would come to this, i would have acted differently. 你当初是怎么跟我说的? what did you tell me, eh?2.(从前) formerly; in the past; at that time 短语和例子 当初这里是一片废墟。 formerly [in the past] the place was a heap of ruins