Expressing "in the end" with "daodi"

到底 (dàodǐ) literally means "to the bottom," and often is used where the speaker wants to get to the bottom of a problem or issue, emphasizing or questioning what the real reason for something is.

到底 as 毕竟 or "in the end"

It is often used like 毕竟, to mean "after all" or "in the end." When used in this way, 到底 is used to emphasize a reason or characteristic the speaker considers to be most important.

Structure 1

到底 ⋯⋯ ，Reason / Characteristic

Examples

• 到底 是 个 大 老板，出手 就是 大方 。 "He is a high-level boss, after all...")Dàodǐ shìgè dà lǎobǎn, chūshǒu jiùshì dàfāng.
• 到底 是 个 高手，这么 快 就 把 问题 解决 了！"He is a master, after all...")Dàodǐ shìgè gāoshǒu, zhème kuài jiù bǎ wèntí jiějuéle!
• 到底 还 是 孩子，有些 事情 他 不 懂 是 很 正常 的。"He is a kid, after all...")Dàodǐ háishì háizi, yǒuxiē shìqíng tā bù dǒng shì hěn zhèngcháng de.

Structure 2

虽然 + A， 但是 + 到底 + B， C

In this structure, A and B are reasons or characteristics, and C is a result or conclusion. For this one, although it's possible to use 到底, 毕竟 is definitely the more common choice, so for examples of this usage, see expressing "after all" with "bijing". 毕竟 can be placed before and after the Subject in this case, but 到底 is usually placed after the Subject.

到底 as 究竟 or "on earth"

到底 can be used to mean "on earth," where it is used to emphasize a question. In this sense, 到底 is similar to 究竟.

Structure

到底 + Question Word

到底 + Verb＋不 / 没＋Verb

Examples

• 你 到底 怎么 了？Nǐ dàodǐ zěnme le?What on earth is up with you?
• 到底 怎么 走？Dàodǐ zěn me zǒu?How on earth do we get there?
• 快 说 啊！你 男友 到底 是 谁？Kuài shuō a! Nǐ nányǒu dàodǐ shì shéi?Come on! Who on earth is your boyfriend?
• 你 到底 说 不 说？Nǐ dàodǐ shuō bù shuō?Are you going to say it or not?
• 你 到底 喜 不 喜欢 我？Nǐ dàodǐ xǐ bù xǐhuān wǒ?Do you like me or not?
• 他们 到底 离 没 离婚？Tāmen dàodǐ lí méi líhūn?Did they get divorced or not?

Note that 到底 can't appear in an answer to a question. Also, 吗 can't appear in a question formed with 到底 but 没有 can be used instead:

• 你 到底 吃 了 没有 ？。Have you eaten or not?Nǐ dàodǐ chīle méiyǒu?
• 你 到底 吃 了 吗 ？

到底 as 终于 or "finally"

到底 can be used to mean "finally." In this sense, 到底 is similar to 终于.

Structure

到底＋Verb＋了

Examples

• 天气 到底 暖和 起来 了。Tiānqì dàodǐ nuǎnhuo qǐlái le.It‘s finally getting warm.
• 他 到底 想 明白 了。Tā dàodǐ xiǎng míngbáile.He finally understood.
• 经过 两 年 多 的 努力，我们 的 项目到底 成功 了。Jīngguò liǎng nián duō de nǔlì, wǒmen de xiàngmù dàodǐ chénggōngle.Our program finally succeed after we worked on this for over two years.

See also

• Expressing "After All" with "bijing"
• Expressing "In the End" with "jiujing"

Sources and further reading

Books

• HSK Standard Course 4下 (pp. 78, 132) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 127-33) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• Boya Chinese Lower Intermediate 2 (博雅汉语准中级加速篇) (pp. 183-5) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

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