做到 (zuò dào) — to accomplish, to achieve; to manage to do (something)

Definition

A result-oriented verb meaning 'manage to do / achieve' — emphasizes successful completion, unlike plain 做 ('to do'). Often pairs with 说 (说到做到) to mean 'practice what one preaches.'

verb
to accomplishto achieveto manage to do (something)

Examples

  • 做到
    Zhǐ yào nǔ lì, nǐ yí dìng néng zuò dào zhè ge mù biāo.
    As long as you work hard, you can definitely achieve this goal.
  • Tā měi cì chéng nuò de shì dōu néng shuō dào zuò dào.
    He can always follow through on every promise he makes.
  • 做到
    Zhè jiàn shì xiǎng zuò dào zuì hǎo, jiù dé cóng xì jié rù shǒu.
    To do this thing to the best of your ability, you need to start with the details.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

做 “do” plus 到 “reach” gives the result “accomplish”.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 做 →

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
zhìto arrive
Sound part声符shēngfú
dāodào
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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