临到 (lín dào) — (of an event) to be about to happen; to be on the verge of; (of something bad) to befall; to happen to (someone)

Definition

A formal verb meaning an event is imminent or that something (often bad) befalls someone. Used in writing or set phrases like 临到…才, contrasting with the everyday 快要 for imminence.

verb
(of an event) to be about to happento be on the verge of(of something bad) to befallto happen to (someone)

Examples

  • 临到，。
    lín dào Kǎo shì, tā cái kāi shǐ fù xí.
    When the exam was about to come, he only then started reviewing.
  • 临到。
    Shuí yě méi xiǎng dào zhè chǎng zāi nàn huì lín dào tā men cūn.
    No one expected this disaster would befall their village.
  • 临到，。
    lín dào Nián guān, měi jiā měi hù dōu zài zhǔn bèi guò nián.
    When the year-end is approaching, every family is preparing for the New Year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

临línapproach
到dàoarrive

临 means to approach, and 到 adds arrival, so 临到 is about to happen or befall.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臨; 临 is its simplified writing.

For the traditional form 臨, 人 is a person, 臣 is an eye, and 品 is objects, showing a person looking down at objects.

Open 临 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
至至zhìto arrive
Sound part声符shēngfú
刀
刀dāo到dào
Same sound today

到 combines 至, meaning 'to arrive', with 刀 as the sound part. The 至 part points to the idea of reaching a stopping point.

Open 到 →

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