我还以为 是什么大老板呢 上大学的时候
“I thought he was a big boss. He couldn't even afford a meal in the canteen”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
就是给我拎包的
“when we were in college.”
我还以为 是 什么 大 老板 呢 上大学的时候
“I thought he was a big boss. He couldn't even afford a meal in the canteen”
“without my help in college. Our brother Cao”
“Don't act high and mighty; I know exactly who you were before you had money.”
In close Chinese social or alumni circles, bringing up poor university days ('上大学的时候') is a common pragmatic tactic to expose pretentiousness and enforce humility.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
I actually thought / and here I was thinking
Used to express that an initial impression or assumption turned out to be completely false, often with sarcastic undertones.
big boss / wealthy mogul
Can be literal, but frequently used playfully or sarcastically to mock someone putting on airs.
Softens the rhetorical pause and prolongs the sarcastic thought, inviting the listener to hear the upcoming reveal.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“I thought it'd be some big deal.”
“I thought it was something serious.”
“I actually thought he was a workaholic.”