Comparing "zongsuan" and “zhongyu"
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One pair of confusing adverbs is 总算 (zǒngsuàn) and 终于 (zhōngyú). They both can be translated as "finally" or "in the end," but they subtly different in tone.
Contents
They have the same grammatical structure
Grammatically, 总算 and 终于 are basically used the same way. They are both adverbs, and they can be placed before the subject or after the subject. However, in comparison to 终于, 总算 is seldom used before the subject.
Subject + 总算/终于 + Verb
Examples
- 你总算来了。You finally came.
- 你终于来了。You finally came.
总算 emphasizes subjectivity
Both 总算 and 终于 express that an action has finally happened after a long wait, however 总算 implies that the speaker is impatient about having had to wait, and it has a heavier tone.
Examples
- 谢天谢地，你 总算 来 了。Thank God, you finally came.
- 总算 没 迟到。You finally didn't arrive late.
- 她 的 感冒 总算 好 了。She finally got over her cold.
终于 can emphasizes objectivity or subjectivity
终于 is more formal than 总算 (in other words, 总算 is more for spoken Chinese), and it also has a more objective feel (meaning that there was indeed a long wait for this thing that finally happened).
- 终于 离婚 了，你 很 高兴 是 不 是？You finally got divorced. You're happy about it, aren't you?
- 两 年 以后，这 个 项目 终于 完成 了。After two years, this project was finally completed.
- 你 终于 决定 不 去 留学 了？You finally decided not to go study abroad?
Sources and further reading
Books
- 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (终于p. 687) →buy
- 现代汉语虚词例释 (终于p. 653)
Dictionaries
- 现代汉语词典（第5版） (总算1814 终于1767) →buy
Websites
- Chinesegrammar.info: A blog with some information on 终于 by comparing it to 最后.
