How to Say ‘At the beginning’ in Simplified Chinese
一开始
yī kāi shǐ
[yī kāishǐ]
💬 Usage Tip: Watch the tone change: 一 becomes (yì) before 开, so you say (yì kāi shǐ).
Phrase Breakdown
一
yī
[yī]
at the very (start)
With 开始: 'at the beginning'.
一开始我很紧张。
At first I was nervous.
开始
kāi shǐ
[kāishǐ]
beginning; start
The initial stage (noun use).
开始的时候很难。
It's hard at the beginning.
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