当初 (dāng chū): originally, at that time

When I first decided to come to Beijing for work, my friends all thought I was too impulsive, but now I don't regret it at all.

When we first bought this apartment, the housing price was still very low; I never expected it to rise so much ten years later.

At the time he chose to study traditional Chinese medicine, his family was against it; now he has become a famous doctor, and everyone admires him.

If I had listened to your advice back then, I wouldn't have made such a big mistake.

When we first met, neither of us expected that we would become such good friends.