Today’s word of the day is 初 (chū) which means ‘at first’. Let’s practice making different words, phrases, and sentences with 初 (chū).
当初 (dāng chū) In the first place
The first word is 当初 (dāng chū) which means ‘in the first place’. A way of using it in a sentence is: 当初我就不该那么做。(Dāngchū wǒ jiù bù gāi nàme zuò.) I shouldn’t have done that in the first place.
初恋 (chū liàn) First love
Another word we can create with 初 (chū) is 初恋 (chū liàn). This means 'first love'. Let’s again look at each character of this word, 初 means first and 恋 means love. A way of using it in a sentence is 你还记得你的初恋吗？ (Nǐ hái jìde nǐ de chūliàn ma?) Do you remember your first love?
最初 (zuì chū) Initial
Finally, we can create the word 最初 (zuì chū) which means ‘initial’. The 最 here means ‘most’. A way of using it in a sentence is 我最初不怎么喜欢他。(Wǒ zuìchū bù zěn me xǐhuan tā.) I didn’t really like him at first.