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等到 (děng dào) — by the time (when); wait until

Definition

等到 is a preposition meaning 'by the time' or 'once' — it links a future condition to the main clause. Unlike the particle 等, it always appears as one block before the time/event clause.

preposition
by the time (when)wait until

Examples

  • 等到。
    děng dào Míng tiān zài shuō ba.
    Let's wait until tomorrow to talk about it.
  • 等到，。
    děng dào Tā huí lái, wǒ men jiù chī fàn.
    When he comes back, we'll eat.
  • 等到，。
    děng dào Nǐ zhǔn bèi hǎo le, wǒ men kāi shǐ gōng zuò.
    Once you're ready, we'll start working.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

等děngwait
到dàoreach

等 means wait and 到 marks reaching a point, so the word means wait until.

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
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì等děng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 竹 shows bamboo strips used for writing and sorting; the bottom 寺 once gave the sound, but now sounds different.

Open 等 →

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 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4

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