我们其实已经开始交手了
“we've already started the negotiation.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
所以我们今天坐在这里
“By sitting here today,”
我们 其实 已经 开始 交手 了
“we've already started the negotiation.”
“He's trying to gain the upper hand to make us back down.”
“Wake up, the battle has already started and we are actively under pressure.”
Chinese business negotiations often borrow martial metaphors like 'crossing swords' to describe subtle power struggles and tests of leverage before any open declaration.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to cross swords; to engage in a contest or battle
Originally a martial arts term, frequently used metaphorically in business and political contexts to indicate direct competition.
in fact already
Used to correct an assumption and highlight an ongoing reality that the other party might not have realized.
Marks a change of state, stressing that the engagement is now an ongoing reality.
