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' (stronger than 究竟, used in everyday speech), and in statements it means 'in the end / finally' (similar to 终于 but often with a sense of pushing through to the finish).

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.

Grammar

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