早知今日何必当初 zǎo zhī jīn rì hé bì dāng chū

DEFINITIONS

  1. if I (you, she, he...) had known it would come to this, I (you, she, he...) would not have acted thus (idiom)
  2. to regret vainly one's past behavior

CHARACTERS

早 zǎo early; soon; morning
知 zhī know, perceive, comprehend
今 jīn now, today, modern era
日 rì sun; day; daytime
何 hé what, why, where, which, how
必 bì surely, most certainly; must
当 dāng bear, accept, undertake; just
初 chū beginning, initial, primary