Usage of the character 初

(one's) original intention, aspiration etc
(Buddhism) "beginner's mind" (i.e. having an attitude of openness when studying a subject just as a beginner in that subject would)

chūqiū

初秋

[初秋]

early autumn
7th month of the lunar calendar

chūshěn

初审

[初審]

preliminary trial

chūdōng

初冬

[初冬]

early winter

chūjí

初级

[初級]

junior
primary

chūshǐhuà

初始化

[初始化]

(computing) to initialize
initialization

Líng Méngchū

凌蒙初

[凌濛初]

Ling Mengchu (1580-1644), Ming dynasty novelist and dramatist

xiǎoshēngchū

小升初

[小升初]

progression from elementary school to junior high (abbr. for 小學生升入初中生／小学生升入初中生 (xiǎoxuéshēngshēngrùchūzhōngshēng))

Líng Méngchū

凌蒙初

[凌蒙初]

Ling Mengchu (1580-1644), Ming dynasty novelist and dramatist

niándàichū

年代初

[年代初]

beginning of an age
beginning of a decade

chūxuézhě

初学者

[初學者]

beginning student

Zhāng Jìngchū

张静初

[張靜初]

Zhang Jingchu (1980-), PRC actress

Achūfó

阿初佛

[阿初佛]

erroneous variant of 阿閦佛, Aksobhya, the imperturbable ruler of Eastern Paradise, Abhirati

chūzhōngshēng

初中生

[初中生]

junior high student

héhǎorúchū

和好如初

[和好如初]

to bury the hatchet
to become reconciled

chūchuànggōngsī

初创公司

[初創公司]

startup company

huǐbùdāngchū

悔不当初

[悔不當初]

to regret one's past deeds (idiom)

zhēngyuèchūyī

正月初一

[正月初一]

New Year's Day in the lunar calendar

Hànmò Wèichū

汉末魏初

[漢末魏初]

late Han and early Wei (roughly, first half of 3rd century AD)

chūbùshèxiǎng

初步设想

[初步設想]

tentative idea

chūchūmáolú

初出茅庐

[初出茅廬]

venturing from one's thatched hut for the first time (idiom)
young and inexperienced
novice
greenhorn

Míngmò Qīngchū

明末清初

[明末清初]

late Ming and early Qing
around the middle of the 17th century

chūjíxiǎoxué

初级小学

[初級小學]

lower elementary school (abbr. to 初小 (chūxiǎo))

chūláizhàdào

初来乍到

[初來乍到]

to be a newcomer
just off the boat

chūděngjiàoyù

初等教育

[初等教育]

primary education
junior school education

Yìchū Liánhuā

易初莲花

[易初蓮花]

Lotus (department store chain)

chūlùfēngmáng

初露锋芒

[初露鋒芒]

first sign of budding talent
to display one's ability for the first time

huádēngchūshàng

华灯初上

[華燈初上]

early evening when lanterns are first lit

chūděngdàishù

初等代数

[初等代數]

elementary algebra

qíngdòuchūkāi

情窦初开

[情竇初開]

first awakening of love (usually of a girl) (idiom)

Yuánmò Míngchū

元末明初

[元末明初]

late Yuan and early Ming
mid 14th century

Chū Táng Sìjié

初唐四杰

[初唐四傑]

the Four Great Poets of the Early Tang, namely Wang Bo 王勃 ( Wáng Bó), Yang Jiong 楊炯／杨炯 ( Yáng Jiǒng), Lu Zhaolin 盧照鄰／卢照邻 ( Lú Zhàolín), and Luo Binwang 駱賓王／骆宾王 ( Luò Bīnwáng)

chūshìshēnshǒu

初试身手

[初試身手]

to have a try
to try one's hand
initial foray

chūlùcáihuá

初露才华

[初露才華]

first sign of budding talent
to display one's ability for the first time

chūjízhōngxué

初级中学

[初級中學]

junior high school
junior middle school

wánhǎorúchū

完好如初

[完好如初]

intact
untouched
as good as before

Qīngmò Mínchū

清末民初

[清末民初]

the late Qing and early Republic, i.e. China around 1911

chūlùtóujiǎo

初露头角

[初露頭角]

lit. to first show one's horns (idiom); fig. a first show of emerging talent
first sign of emerging talent
budding genius

chūliàngǎnjué

初恋感觉

[初戀感覺]

feelings of first love

Tángchū Sì Dàjiā

唐初四大家

[唐初四大家]

Four Great Calligraphers of early Tang
refers to Yu Shinan 虞世南 ( Yú Shìnán), Ouyang Xun 歐陽詢／欧阳询 ( Oūyáng Xún), Chu Suiliang 褚遂良 ( Chǔ Suìliáng) and Xue Ji 薛稷 ( Xuē Jì)

běnchūzǐwǔxiàn

本初子午线

[本初子午線]

the first meridian
the prime meridian

Chūkè Pāi'àn Jīngqí

初刻拍案惊奇

[初刻拍案驚奇]

Slapping the Table in Amazement (Part I), first of two books of vernacular stories by Ming dynasty novelist Ling Mengchu 凌濛初／凌蒙初 ( Líng Méngchū)

chūshēngniúdúbùpàhǔ

初生牛犊不怕虎

[初生牛犢不怕虎]

lit. newborn calves do not fear tigers (idiom)
fig. the young are fearless

chūshēngzhīdúbùwèihǔ

初生之犊不畏虎

[初生之犢不畏虎]

lit. a new-born calf has no fear of the tiger (idiom)
fig. the fearlessness of youth

chūshēngzhīdúbùpàhǔ

初生之犊不怕虎

[初生之犢不怕虎]

see 初生之犢不畏虎／初生之犊不畏虎 (chūshēngzhīdúbùwèihǔ)

rénzhīchū,xìngběnshàn

人之初，性本善

[人之初，性本善]

man at birth is fundamentally good in nature (the first two lines of Three Character Classic 三字經／三字经 ( Sānzì Jīng))

jìyǒujīnrìhébìdāngchū

既有今日何必当初

[既有今日何必當初]

see 早知今日何必當初／早知今日何必当初 (zǎozhījīnrìhébìdāngchū)

zǎozhījīnrìhébìdāngchū

早知今日何必当初

[早知今日何必當初]

if I (you, she, he...) had known it would come to this, I (you, she, he...) would not have acted thus (idiom)
to regret vainly one's past behavior

Gélínnízhìběnchūzǐwǔxiàn

格林尼治本初子午线

[格林尼治本初子午線]

the Greenwich meridian

mǐbùyǒuchū,xiǎnkèyǒuzhōng

靡不有初，鲜克有终

[靡不有初，鮮克有終]

almost everything has a start, but not many things have an end (idiom); don't start sth you can't handle

duǒguòchūyī,duǒbùguòshíwǔ

躲过初一，躲不过十五

[躲過初一，躲不過十五]

see 躲得過初一，躲不過十五／躲得过初一，躲不过十五 (duǒdeguòchūyī,duǒbùguòshíwǔ)

duǒdeguòchūyī,duǒbùguòshíwǔ

躲得过初一，躲不过十五

[躲得過初一，躲不過十五]

lit. you may go undetected during the new moon, but at full moon you'll be found out (idiom)
fig. you can't put it off forever
sooner or later you'll have to deal with it