in the first place 1. 作为根本缘由；原先 Why do strikes occur so frequently in coal mines in the first place? 罢工如此频繁地在煤矿发生，究竟是什么原因? It wasn't my idea to go to that school in the first place. Dad shoved me in. 进那所学校压根儿不是我的意思；是爸爸硬要我进的。 We don't know how the moon was formed in the first place. 我们不知道月球最初是怎样形成的。 2. 第一，首先(用于列举事项) You can't go swimming. In the first place, the water is too cold; and in the second place, ... 你不能去游泳，首先是水太凉，其次是…