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Originally planned or intended to do something, but circumstances changed.
他原本打算明天出发，但临时有事耽搁了。
He originally intended to leave tomorrow, but something came up last minute.
我们原本打算买房，但利率太高了。
We originally intended to buy a house, but the interest rates were too high.
Often used to contrast past intentions with current reality. Similar to 'originally planned to' or 'had intended to'.
Use '原本打算' to set up a contrast between your original plan and what actually happened. Example: '原本打算学习，但朋友来了' (Originally intended to study, but a friend came over).
The phrase is typically followed by a clause showing the actual outcome, which differs from the original intention. Example: '原本打算去公园，但下雨了' (Originally intended to go to the park, but it rained).
Composed of '原本' (originally, at first) and '打算' (to plan/intend). '原本' comes from '原来的本意' (original intention), while '打算' derives from the verb '打算' meaning 'to plan' or 'to intend'. The phrase emerged in modern Mandarin as a natural way to express past intentions that were not fulfilled.
Used in both spoken and written Chinese to describe intentions that were abandoned or altered due to external factors. Often followed by a contrasting clause indicating what actually happened. Common in narrative contexts.