到达 (dào dá) — to arrive, to reach (a destination) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

到达 (dàodá) means a person or vehicle physically arriving at a destination. Unlike 达到 (an abstract goal or level), 抵达 is a formal near-synonym, and 到来 / 来临 refer to events or seasons arriving.

verb

to arriveto reach (a destination)

Examples

到达。
Huǒ chē zhǔn shí dào dá le.
The train arrived on time.
到达。
Wǒ men dào dá chē zhàn de shí hou tiān yǐ jīng hēi le.
By the time we arrived at the station, it was already dark.
到达。
Tā dào dá shàng hǎi hòu gěi wǒ dǎ le diàn huà.
He called me after he arrived in Shanghai.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

到 and 达 both mean reach or arrive, so the word emphasizes getting to a destination.

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.

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

辶大达

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

大

大dà达dá

Same sound today

This form 达 pairs 辶 (written in full as 辵) with 大 as a sound component.

Appears in

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