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當初

简当初 · 繁當初

Mandarin · pinyin dāng chū

at that time
originally

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Characters in this entry

當: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just
初: chū · beginning, initial, primary
当: dāng · bear, accept, undertake; just

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1 · dang1 chu1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

當初 · find source passages ↗ · 当初 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dong1 co1

Cantonese word readings for 當初. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

adv

originally; at first; at that time; at the outset; in the first place
previously; formerly; once upon a time; in the past

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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