悔不当初 (huǐ bú) — to regret a past decision, to wish one had acted differently
Definition
A set idiom meaning 'to regret a past decision and wish one had chosen differently.' Often paired with 早知如此 or 后 (后) + verb to express hindsight.
idiom
to regret a past decisionto wish one had acted differently
Examples
- 悔不当初，。Tā xiàn zài huǐ bú, dāng chū bù gāi cí zhí.He regrets it now; he shouldn't have quit his job in the first place.
- 悔不当初，。Wǒ zhēn shì huǐ bú, méi yǒu tīng nǐ de quàn gào.I truly regret not having followed your advice.
- 悔不当初，。huǐ bú, Dāng chū yào shi nǔ lì xué xí jiù hǎo le.If only I had studied hard back then — I regret it now.
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