来到 (lái dào) — to arrive, to come (to a place) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

来到 emphasizes the moment of reaching a place, often a destination or scene; 来 alone is more general ('come') and can also function as a direction complement. Use 来到 for arrivals at specific places.

verb

to arriveto come (to a place)

Examples

来到，。
Tā lái dào zhè ge chéng shì yǐ jīng sān nián le, duì zhè lǐ hěn shú xi.
He has been in this city for three years and is very familiar with it.
来到，。
Dāng chūn tiān lái dào shí, huā yuán lǐ de huā dū kāi le.
When spring arrives, all the flowers in the garden bloom.
来到，。
Wǒ lái dào běi jīng hòu, dì yī jiàn shì jiù shì qù gù gōng cān guān.
After I arrived in Beijing, the first thing I did was visit the Forbidden City.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

来 expresses coming, and 到 adds the result of reaching a place.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

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.

Appears in

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