到 (dào) — (verb) to arrive at, to reach (a place or time); (verb complement) used after a verb to indicate reaching a place, time, or result
Definition
到 marks arrival or a point reached: used as a main verb (到了 = have arrived) or after another verb as a result complement (走到, 看到). For the "go" direction, use 去; for "until" in time clauses, use 直到.
verb
to arrive atto reach (a place or time)(verb complement) used after a verb to indicate reaching a place, time, or result
Examples
- 到。Wǒ dào xué xiào le.I arrived at school.
- 到。Wǒ xué dào wǎn shàng.I study until evening.
- 。Wǒ kàn dào le tā.I saw him.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
到 combines 至, meaning 'to arrive', with 刀 as the sound part. The 至 part points to the idea of reaching a stopping point.
Grammar
Appears in
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