有言在先 (yǒu) — to have forewarned or made clear in advance; a prior statement or agreement
Definition
A fixed phrase meaning 'I said so beforehand' — used to remind someone that you warned them earlier, often with a tone of 'don't blame me'. The statement comes before the action, not after.
idiom
to have forewarned or made clear in advancea prior statement or agreement
Examples
- ，有言在先。Bié guài wǒ méi tí xǐng nǐ, wǒ kě shì yǒu le.Don't blame me for not warning you — I told you so beforehand.
- 有言在先，，。Zán men yǒu, zhè bǐ qián jiè gěi nǐ, sān gè yuè nèi bì xū hái.Let's make it clear in advance: this money I'm lending you must be returned within three months.
- 有言在先，。Dāng shí yǒu shuō guò bù néng chí dào, nǐ xiàn zài hái shì wǎn le.I said clearly in advance that you couldn't be late, yet here you are, late.
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