你说这海潮 临时打了退堂鼓
“but Haichao backed out suddenly.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
你说这 海潮 临时 打了退堂鼓
“but Haichao backed out suddenly.”
真是
“How could he?”
“He really let us down and made things awkward by bailing at the eleventh hour.”
Backing out at the last moment violates social reliability and causes both sides to lose face, especially when mutual commitments involve third parties.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to back out; to get cold feet; to chicken out
A very common Chinese idiom used when someone retreats or gives up on a planned task or commitment halfway.
at the last moment; temporarily
Used before a verb to describe an action taken spontaneously or unexpectedly right before an event.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“Why did Haichao drive you out?”
“Haichao, how did you get into hospital”
“Are you busy at noon, Haichao?”
“Haichao, your phone!”
“If Li Haichao didn't send me a WeChat message, asking me to come to see you,”
“Is Li Haichao nice to you?”