但是我都是打一个照面而已
“but just in passing.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
有啊
“Yes,”
但是 我 都 是 打一个照面 而已
“but just in passing.”
他们根本就没有机会
“None of them had a chance”
“I barely saw them, so stop suspecting me of being involved.”
In Chinese legal or social inquiries, clearly demarcating that an encounter was just a brief 'glance' helps absolve oneself from relational responsibility or suspicion.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to bump into briefly; to have a fleeting encounter
Commonly used in spoken Chinese to emphasize that an encounter was minimal, brief, or accidental.
merely; nothing more than
Attached to the end of a clause to downplay significance or extent.