时候也不早了 一会儿镇里还要开会 我就先走了
“It's getting late. The town meeting starts soon. I'll head out first.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
能行 你试试
“It'll work. Give it a try.”
时候 也不 早了 一会儿 镇里 还要 开会 我 就先走了
“It's getting late. The town meeting starts soon. I'll head out first.”
“Wait. Hold on. Ms. Li, I truly don't know how to thank you.”
“I don't want to get pulled into this conversation any longer, so I'm leaving.”
In Chinese social decorum, directly ending an uncomfortable interaction can damage face; citing urgent organizational duties provides a face-saving pretext for both sides.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
it is getting late
The standard socially acceptable formula used in Chinese to initiate a graceful departure without causing offense.
I'll be taking off first
A polite, standard parting phrase used when leaving a gathering before others.
Marks a change of status regarding time in '不早了' and signals the completion/decision of departing in '先走了'.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“It's getting late. I should head back now.”
“It's getting late. Is it okay for you to be alone?”
“It's getting late. We should head back too.”
“It's getting late. Go back and rest early. I'm hungry.”
“it's getting late. Rest early. We're heading back.”