是他们先过分的
“They crossed the line first.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
过不过分
“Was I bad?”
是他们 先过分 的
“They crossed the line first.”
“Mr. Meng is an honest man. How could he break his principles for them?”
“Don't lecture me—they started it, so they deserved whatever I did.”
In Chinese conflict dynamics, proving who initiated unreasonable behavior ('先过分') is crucial for retaining moral high ground ('占理').
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
the one who crossed the line first
Used in disputes to shift responsibility by pointing out who provoked the conflict.
Functions in the 'shi...de' construction to add emphatic conviction to the assertion.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“They failed to see the bigger picture.”
“I underestimated them before.”
“They're underestimating us.”
“Right behind them.”
“It was Chi Yu and the others who forced their own destruction.”
“I didn't actually see what happened between them.”