The Diary of a Big Man (1988) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Chow Ting-fat deliberately pursues a double marriage because he wants to enjoy the comforts of two relationships without giving up either woman. He believes he can manage both marriages through careful scheduling, code signs, and excuses. His dream is explicitly framed as wanting wealth, success, and multiple beautiful women orbiting his life, making the bigamy a calculated lifestyle choice rather than an accident.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene establishes Chow's dream of marrying multiple beauties, planting the seed for his later two-timing scheme.

• Chow Ting-fat
• bigamy
• Joey
• Sally
• motivation

Chi-hung serves as Chow's primary accomplice, providing backup cover whenever the two wives nearly discover each other. He impersonates Chow at the hospital to answer Inspector Cheng's questions, claims to be Joey's husband during the birthday party, and pretends to be Chow's same-sex partner to discourage the inspector's investigation. Chi-hung's involvement strains his own relationship with Ka-lai, who suspects he's having an affair.

Foreshadowing: Chow recruits Chi-hung early as emergency backup, establishing the friend as an essential component of the elaborate ruse.

• Chi-hung
• impersonation
• cover-up
• Inspector Cheng

The wives discover the truth when they coincidentally meet at a photo shop one year after their weddings. While looking at wedding albums, they realize they both have photos from weddings to the same man, Chow Ting-fat. The discovery of paired wedding albums with matching husbands shatters Chow's carefully maintained illusion and unites the two women against him.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show the wives becoming friends at Joey's boutique and later at a hair salon, increasing the likelihood of their paths crossing.

• photo shop
• wedding albums
• discovery
• betrayal

After discovering Chow's bigamy, Joey and Sally plot revenge by inviting the men to a hotel room on Valentine's Day. When Chow arrives, he wakes up to find himself caught between both wives who are now fully aware of his deception. The women teach him a harsh lesson through humiliation, tying him up, slapping him, and subjecting him to comedic violence, demonstrating the consequences of his deceit.

Foreshadowing: The wives' anger at the photo shop discovery sets the stage for their calculated retaliation.

• Valentine's Day
• revenge
• hotel trap
• humiliation

After Chow is injured in a road accident and taken to the hospital, Inspector Cheng becomes suspicious and begins questioning him about his relationship with two women. To prevent the inspector from discovering the truth, Chi-hung steps in and pretends to be Chow, deflecting questions by claiming there are many men named Chow Ting-fat in Hong Kong. This audacious lie successfully convinces the inspector to leave without further investigation.

Foreshadowing: The accident itself was caused by Chow's rushing to maintain his scheduling between two wives, drawing unwanted attention.

• hospital
• Inspector Cheng
• impersonation
• accident

Joey and Sally initially meet as strangers at Joey's boutique and later bond at a hair salon, unaware they share the same husband. Their growing friendship is purely coincidental and based on normal social interaction. However, this friendship ultimately accelerates Chow's downfall, the more time they spend together, the higher the chance they'll compare notes and discover their shared husband.

Foreshadowing: Chow's careful schedule is designed to prevent exactly this kind of social overlap between his two lives.

• Joey
• Sally
• friendship
• boutique
• salon

During a police crackdown on criminals near the location where Chow first met his wives, Chow and the two women inadvertently arrive at the scene. Their presence distracts the police, creating an opening for the criminals to seize Joey and Sally as hostages. The wives then surprise everyone by standing up to the criminals, causing them to surrender to police.

Foreshadowing: The timeline returns to the original meeting spot, creating narrative symmetry while putting the wives in danger.

• hostage
• police raid
• criminals
• Inspector Cheng

In the rainy final scene, Chow offers a sincere apology to both wives, acknowledging that his two-timing has caused them pain. He tells them it's best they live without him and sends them home in a taxi. This ending reflects Chow's recognition that his deception has permanently damaged the relationships, leaving the women free to choose their own paths while he accepts responsibility for his actions.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Chow's narration about his dreams, and his final decision represents a departure from that selfish ambition.

• apology
• rainy ending
• resolution
• departure

Inspector Cheng becomes suspicious after Chow is involved in a street accident. During the hospital investigation, Cheng notices inconsistencies in Chow's story regarding his relationships with two women. The inspector's curiosity is piqued when he observes Chow's complicated web of lies, though he is repeatedly deflected by Chi-hung's impersonations and Chow's elaborate cover stories.

Foreshadowing: The accident marks the first major disruption to Chow's carefully balanced schedule, drawing official attention.

• Inspector Cheng
• investigation
• suspicion
• accident

To deflect Inspector Cheng's persistent investigation, Chow stages an audacious bluff claiming he and Chi-hung are a same-sex couple. This lie is designed to make the inspector uncomfortable and discourage further questioning into Chow's romantic life. The ruse works temporarily, as the inspector backs off from what he believes is a private matter, buying Chow more time to maintain his double marriage.

Foreshadowing: This desperate lie demonstrates how far Chow will go to protect his scheme, signaling the increasing fragility of his cover-up.

• same-sex bluff
• Inspector Cheng
• deception