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

If I’d known, I wouldn’t have done it.

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

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

Characters

Character Meaning
早 zǎo HSK 2
early; morning; Good morning!
知 zhī HSK 2
to know; to be aware
今 jīn HSK 1
now; this (day, year etc); the present time
日 rì HSK 2
day; date, day of the month; sun
何 hé HSK 4
what; how; why
必 bì HSK 3
must; necessarily; certainly
当 dāng HSK 3
to be; to act as; should
初 chū HSK 5
(at the) beginning; at first; first