终于 (zhōng yú) — finally; at last; in the end

Definition

终于 marks something waited for, worked toward, or delayed — relief or completion, like 'finally / at last.' Lighter and more neutral than 总算, which adds a sense of 'at long last' after difficulty.

adverb

finallyat lastin the end

Easily confused

忠于zhōng yúsound-aliketo be loyal to, to be faithful to (a person, cause, or ideal)

Examples

终于。
Wǒ zhōng yú zuò wán zuò yè le.
I finally finished my homework.
终于！。
Nǐ zhōng yú lái le! wǒ děng nǐ hěn jiǔ le.
You're here at last! I've been waiting for you for a long time.
终于，。
Bǐ sài zhōng yú yíng le, dà jiā dōu hěn gāo xìng.
The game was finally won, and everyone was very happy.

Origin

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

终zhōngend

于yú

终 gives the sense of end, and 于 completes the sense of at last.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 終; 终 is its simplified writing.

糹冬終

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糹Written in full as糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

冬

冬dōng終zhōng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 終 pairs 糸 (a cord) with 冬 as a sound part; the simplified 终 is a later shorthand. An older form showed a knot at the end of a cord.

Open 终 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.