那当初孟厂长是出了头的
“Director Meng stepped in back then!”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
不是
“Well,”
那 当初 孟厂长 是 出了头 的
“Director Meng stepped in back then!”
当初我敢给他个大嘴巴子
“I wasn't afraid to slap him in the face back then,”
“Even when Meng himself stepped in back then, I wasn't afraid of standing up to him.”
In traditional state-owned enterprises, the factory director (厂长) wielded supreme administrative authority; opposing one required extreme personal boldness.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to step forward; to take the lead; to stick one's neck out
Often used when someone acts as the spokesperson or spearheads an issue on behalf of a group or cause.
at that time; originally; back then
Sets up a retrospective reference point to contrast past actions with current situations.
Emphasizes the agent or circumstance in the '是...的' focal construction.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“he actually dared to slap Director Meng, who just transferred here!”
“Mr. Meng, you sure act differently now,”
“It's said that after the director died, he managed to climb the social ladder,”
“Mr. Meng said one thing right.”
“Mr. Zhang, could you pass me the phone? I'll talk to him.”
“For these people, the most important one has always been Meng Guangcai.”