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不到 (bù dào) — cannot reach (a place, time, or goal); be less than, fall short of (a number or amount); (verb complement after another verb) unable to accomplish the result of the verb

Definition

不到 (bù dào) is a verb complement meaning 'cannot reach' a place, time, or number — or, after another verb, 'unable to V' (the action's result is not achieved).

verb
cannot reach (a place, time, or goal)be less thanfall short of (a number or amount)(verb complement after another verb) unable to accomplish the result of the verb

Examples

  • ，不到。
    Zhè tàng gāo tiě zhī dào shàng hǎi, bù dào běi jīng.
    This high-speed train only goes to Shanghai, not to Beijing.
  • 不到，。
    Tā de cún kuǎn bù dào yí wàn yuán, mǎi bù qǐ fáng zi.
    His savings are less than ten thousand yuan, so he can't afford a house.
  • ，。
    Zhè dào tí tài nán le, wǒ xiǎng bù dào rèn hé jiě jué fāng fǎ.
    This problem is too difficult — I can't think of any solution.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不bùnot
到dàoreach

不 ('not') and 到 ('reach') combine to mean 'not reach'.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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 →

Grammar

Appears in
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