本该是左右逢源
“I should have been the one skillfully balancing all sides,”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
本该 是 左右逢源
“I should have been the one skillfully balancing all sides,”
是各方势力
“all the factions”
“I was foolish to think I could outsmart everyone and play all sides safely.”
In Chinese political culture, being adept at pleasing both sides is seen as high interpersonal skill, yet failing to do so leaves one vulnerable to all factions.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
should have been originally
Used to introduce an ideal expectation that ultimately failed to materialize.
adept at handling all sides smoothly; playing all angles
An idiom often used to praise extreme social dexterity, or pejoratively for opportunistic fence-sitting.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“that there's no such thing as balancing all sides.”
“charging left and right.”
“is nothing for him.”
“It was just a matter of seizing the opportunity”
“what we said about following the natural course?”
“Nothing was supposed to go wrong.”