我已经跟她约法三章了
“I've already laid down the rules with her.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
这次绝对不会的
“It absolutely won't happen this time.”
我 已经 跟她 约法三章 了
“I've already laid down the rules with her.”
酒店有酒店的规矩
“The hotel has its rules.”
“Do not worry or blame me; I have already laid down strict ground rules for her.”
Alluding to Liu Bang's famous ancient code, modern Chinese speakers frequently use 约法三章 to denote proactive boundary management in both domestic and professional spheres.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to establish ground rules; to agree on a set of firm rules
A common idiom originating from historical pacts, widely used in modern spoken Chinese to denote mutually agreed rules or boundary-setting.
Marks completion of an action, underscoring that preventive rules have already been set.