in the first place
1
首先, 第一
used to explain the main reason or starting point of a situation
- I don't want to go in the first place, I'm tired, and secondly, I can't afford it.
我首先不想去，我累了，其次，我负担不起。
- Why hire him?In the first place, he's unqualified, and in the second, he's unreliable.
为什么要雇佣他？首先，他没有资格，其次，他不可靠。
- In the first place, the data is flawed, which invalidates the entire study.
首先，数据有缺陷，这使得整个研究无效。
- In the first place, we don't have enough funding for this project, and secondly, we're short-staffed.
首先, 我们没有足够的资金用于这个项目，其次，我们人手不足。
- In the first place, this project was poorly planned, so failure was inevitable.
首先，这个项目计划不周，所以失败是不可避免的。
2
首先, 原本
at the original state, plan, or intention, especially when contrasting with later outcomes
- I should never have agreed in the first place.
我一开始就不应该同意。
- Why did I trust someone who lied to me in the first place?
为什么我信任了一个一开始就对我撒谎的人？
- We shouldn't have booked a non-refundable hotel in the first place.
我们一开始就不应该预订不可退款的酒店。
- Why did I bother arguing with someone who never listens in the first place?
我为什么要费心和一个从一开始就不听的人争论呢？
- I never should have lent him money in the first place.
我一开始就不该借钱给他。