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到底 (dào dǐ) — (adverb, used in questions for emphasis) after all; exactly; on earth; (adverb) finally; in the end

Definition

到底 has two uses: in questions it means 'on earth / exactly' for emphasis, stronger than 究竟; in statements it means 'in the end / finally,' similar to 终于. Use 到底 in questions, 终于 in statements.

adverb
(adverb, used in questions for emphasis) after allexactlyon earthfinallyin the end

Examples

  • 到底？
    Nǐ dào dǐ xiǎng qù nǎ ge dì fāng?
    Which place do you actually want to go to?
  • ，到底。
    Jīng guò nǔ lì, tā dào dǐ chéng gōng le.
    After hard work, he finally succeeded.
  • ，到底。
    Suī rán hěn nán, wǒ men dào dǐ wán chéng le rèn wu.
    Although it was hard, we completed the task in the end.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

到dàoreach
底dǐbottom

到 means reach and 底 means bottom; reaching the bottom gives the sense of finally or after all.

Characters in this word

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 →

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
广广guǎngbuilding
Sound part声符shēngfú
氐
氐dī底dǐ
Same sound today

底 pairs 广 (building) with 氐, pointing to the bottom or foundation of a building. Some read 氐 as a bowing figure or tree root, adding a sense of 'down'.

Open 底 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 41000 Most Frequent Chinese WordsTime (Abstract)2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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