只是不知道他们什么身份
“but… we didn't know who they were.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
偶尔能看到些容貌
“Occasionally, we could catch a glimpse of their faces,”
只是 不知道 他们 什么身份
“but… we didn't know who they were.”
你只要把你见过的、记得的 都告诉画师
“Just tell the artist everything you remember about what you saw,”
“I saw their faces, but don't expect me to know who they actually are.”
Witnesses or subordinates frequently manage expectations early with qualifiers like 'zhishi' to avoid accountability if the information proves insufficient.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
it's just that; only
Used at the beginning of a clause to introduce a gentle hedge, qualification, or drawback.
what identity / status
Commonly used in spoken Chinese to ask or wonder about a person's social background, rank, or official role.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“I don't know about the others,”
“What's their origin? I don't know.”
“I don't even know who that is.”
“but we don't even know who they are.”
“But I don't know the exact relationship between them.”
“But if I don't know who I am,”
“I have no idea what they're thinking.”
“I don't know who those two are,”
“because of his mysterious identity.”
“I don't know who he is,”