[dāng chū]
（开始时） at the beginning; originally; at the outset; in the first place
It was originally planned to put up a big building here.
当初打算在这儿盖一座大楼。
You should never have acted the way you did in the first place.
当初你就不该这么做。
If I had known it would come to this, I would have acted differently.
早知今日， 何必当初?
What did you tell me, eh?
你当初是怎么跟我说的?
Formerly [In the past] the place was a heap of ruins.
当初这里是一片废墟。