當初

See also: 当初

Chinese

		to act as; represent; equal to act as; represent; equal; should; fitting; suitable; adequate; proper; replace; to be; to hold a position; manage; withstand; when; during; ought; match equally; same; obstruct; just at (a time or place); on the spot; right; just at	initial; first; beginning initial; first; beginning; junior; basic
trad. (當初)		當	初
simp. (当初)		当	初

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): dāngchū

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄤㄔㄨ
Cantonese (Jyutping): dong¹ co¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): tông-chhû

(Hailu, HRS): dong^ˋ cu^ˋ
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): tng-chho͘ / tong-chho͘ / tng-chhoe / tng-chhe / tong-chhoe

(Teochew, Peng'im): deng¹ co¹
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ¹taon-tshu₁

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: dāngchū
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄤㄔㄨ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: dangchu
  - Wade–Giles: tang¹-chʻu¹
  - Yale: dāng-chū
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dangchu
  - Palladius: данчу (danču)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɑŋ⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: dong¹ co¹
  - Yale: dōng chō
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dong¹ tso¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: dong¹ co¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɔːŋ⁵⁵ t͡sʰɔː⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: tông-chhû
  - Hakka Romanization System: dong^ˊ cu^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: dong¹ cu¹
  - Sinological IPA: /toŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡sʰu²⁴/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: dong^ˋ cu^ˋ
  - Sinological IPA: /toŋ⁵³ t͡sʰu⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tng-chho͘
  - Tâi-lô: tng-tshoo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: dngzhof
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /tŋ̍³³ t͡sʰɔ³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Singapore): /tŋ̍⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰɔ⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tong-chho͘
  - Tâi-lô: tong-tshoo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: dongzhof
  - IPA (Zhangzhou, Singapore): /tɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰɔ⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /tɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰɔ⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tng-chhoe
  - Tâi-lô: tng-tshue
  - Phofsit Daibuun: dngzhoef
  - IPA (Xiamen): /tŋ̍⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰue⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /tŋ̍⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰue⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /tŋ̍³³ t͡sʰue³³/
- (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tng-chhe
  - Tâi-lô: tng-tshe
  - Phofsit Daibuun: dngzhef
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /tŋ̍⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sʰe⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tong-chhoe
  - Tâi-lô: tong-tshue
  - Phofsit Daibuun: dongzhoef
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /tɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sʰue⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: deng¹ co¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tṳng tsho
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɯŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sʰo³³/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai, Suzhou)
  - Wugniu: ¹taon-tshu₁
  - MiniDict: taon^平 tshu^平
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹taan-tshu₁
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /tɑ̃⁵⁵ t͡sʰu²¹/
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /tɑ̃⁴⁴ t͡sʰu/

Adverb

當初

originally; at first; at that time; at the outset; in the first place
她很後悔當初沒有學好英語。 [MSC, trad.]
她很后悔当初没有学好英语。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā hěn hòuhuǐ dāngchū méiyǒu xuéhǎo Yīngyǔ. [Pinyin]
She regrets not learning English well from the outset.
previously; formerly; once upon a time; in the past

Synonyms

(originally):

edit

一插手兒 / 一插手儿 (yīchāshǒur) (Beijing Mandarin)
一開始 / 一开始 (yīkāishǐ)
上頭仔 / 上头仔 (Hokkien)
乍出猛兒 / 乍出猛儿 (zhàchūměngr) (Beijing Mandarin)
先前 (¹shi-zhi) (Wu)
先起頭 / 先起头 (Wu)
先頭 / 先头 (Wu)
最初 (zuìchū)
初初 (co¹ co¹) (Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien)
劈頭 / 劈头 (pītóu)
原 (yuán)
原來 / 原来 (yuánlái)
原先 (yuánxiān)
原初 (yuánchū)
原底 (Hokkien, chiefly Cantonese, Teochew, chiefly Cantonese)
原旦 (Hakka)
原本 (yuánběn)
原本榻裡 / 原本榻里 (⁶gnioe-pen-thaq-li) (Wu)
在本 (Hokkien)
始初 (shǐchū) (literary)
寢頭 / 寝头 (Hokkien)
就跟兒 / 就跟儿 (jiùgēnr) (Beijing Mandarin)
早先 (⁵tsau-shi) (Wu)
本來 / 本来 (běnlái)
本則來 / 本则来 (⁵pen-tseq-le) (Wu)
本底 (Hokkien)
本底子 (⁵pen-ti-tsy) (Wu)
本成 (Hokkien)
本然 (Hokkien)
本生 (⁵pen-san) (Wu)
當初時 / 当初时 (Hokkien)
當原初 / 当原初 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
自本 (Hokkien)
舊底 / 旧底 (Hokkien)
起先 (qǐxiān)
起初 (qǐchū)
起始 (qǐshǐ)
起手 (qǐshǒu)
起頭 / 起头 (qǐtóu)
起首 (qǐshǒu) (literary, or Guangzhou Cantonese)
開先 / 开先 (kai¹ sienn¹) (Xiang)
開初 / 开初 (kāichū)
頭仔 / 头仔 (Hokkien)
頭起先 / 头起先 (Hokkien)
頭頭 / 头头 (Cantonese, Eastern Min, Hokkien)

(previously):

edit

上早 (Hakka)
以前 (yǐqián)
先前 (xiānqián)
先行 (xiānxíng) (literary)
其先 (qíxiān) (literary)
前往 (qiánwǎng) (literary)
原在 (Hakka)
古者 (gǔzhě) (archaic)
向來 / 向来 (xiànglái) (archaic)
嘗 / 尝 (cháng) (literary, or used in compounds)
在前 (zàiqián)
家先 (Hakka)
往擺 / 往摆 (Hakka, Hokkien)
往擺仔 / 往摆仔 (Hokkien)
往者 (wǎngzhě) (literary)
往過 / 往过 (Hokkien)
往過仔 / 往过仔 (Hokkien)
從前 / 从前 (cóngqián)
早先 (zǎoxiān)
早年所 (Hokkien)
早時 / 早时 (Hokkien)
昔日 (xīrì) (literary)
昔時 / 昔时 (xīshí) (literary)
曾
曾經 / 曾经 (céngjīng)
舊擺 / 旧摆 (Singapore Hokkien)
舊早 / 旧早 (Singapore Hokkien)
過前 / 过前 (Hainanese)

Derived terms

既有今日，何必當初 / 既有今日，何必当初 (jìyǒu jīnrì hébì dāngchū)
早知今日，何必當初 / 早知今日，何必当初 (zǎozhī jīnrì, hébì dāngchū)