co1 si4初時初时

Jyutpingco1 si4

Yalechō sìh

副詞Uncommon

Definition

At first, in the beginning, or originally.

colloquialtime

How it's used

Focus on the contrast between the initial state and a later change in situation or opinion. It is almost always used to set up a narrative where the speaker's current perspective differs from their starting point. Use it to introduce a story about how things were before a realization or an unexpected turn of events.

Examples

co1初si4時ngo5我ji5以wai4為keoi5佢hai6係ngoi6外gwok3國jan4人。

At first I thought he was a foreigner.

nei5你co1初si4時dim2點gaai2解m4唔gong2講cing1清co2楚aa4呀？

Why didn't you explain it clearly at the beginning?

Common phrases

co1初si4時ji5以wai4為

thought at first

co1初si4時m4唔hai6係

was not at the beginning

Common mistake

Avoid using this to describe the very beginning of a long historical period or a formal process, as it is strictly for personal or immediate situational contexts. Do not confuse it with 起初, which is more common in formal written Chinese.