Expressing "in the end" with "jiujing"

When someone asks you "what on earth are you doing?," "究竟 (jiūjìng)" is used by the speaker to intensify the question. In this case, 究竟 is similar to 到底, but a bit more formal.

Using 究竟 in Questions

Using 究竟 in Targeted Questions

These questions are aimed at finding out a specific piece of info, such as a name or time.

Structure

究竟 + Question Word

Examples

  • 这 个 人 究竟 是 谁?Zhège rén jiùjìng shì shéi?Who on earth is this guy?
  • 究竟 是 做 什么 的?jiùjìng shì zuò shénme de?What exactly is it that you do?
  • 他们 究竟 什么 时候 到?Tāmen jiùjìng shénme shíhòu dào?When exactly are they arriving?
  • 我们 究竟 还 要 等 多久?Wǒmen jiùjìng hái yào děng duōjiǔ?How much longer do we still need to wait?
  • 你们 究竟 想 让 我 怎么 做?Nǐmen jiùjìng xiǎng ràng wǒ zěnme zuò?What on earth do you want me to do?

Using 究竟 in Yes/No Questions

Structure

究竟 + Verb + 没 / 不 + Verb

Examples

  • 究竟 来 不 来?jiùjìng lái bù lái?Are you coming or not?
  • 你们 究竟 能 不 能 帮 我?Nǐmen jiùjìng néng bù néng bāng wǒ?Can you guys help me or not?
  • 究竟 是 不 是 你 女朋友?jiùjìng shì bù shì nǐ nǚpéngyou?So, is she your girlfriend or not?
  • 究竟 喜 不 喜欢 我?jiùjìng xǐ bù xǐhuān wǒ?So, do you like me or not?
  • 经理 究竟 同 不 同意?Jīnglǐ jiùjìng tóng bu tóngyì?Did the manager agree or not?

Using 究竟 in Affirmative Sentences

究竟 can also be used with 是 for an emphasis of a fact, which is similar to 毕竟, meaning "after all."

Structure

Fact + 究竟 + 是 + Fact,……

Examples

  • 孩子 究竟 是 孩子,总是 想 着 怎么 玩。Háizi jiùjìng shì háizi, zǒng shì xiǎng zhe zěnme wán.Kids are kids after all, always thinking about how to have fun.
  • 上海 究竟 是 上海,生活 成本 就是 高。Shànghǎi jiùjìng shì Shànghǎi, shēnghuó chéngběn jiùshì gāo.Shanghai is Shanghai after all. The living expenses here are just high.
  • 年轻 人 究竟 是 年轻 人,精力 真 好。Niánqīng rén jiùjìng shì niánqīng rén, jīnglì zhēn hǎo.Young people are young, after all. They are so full of energy.
  • 生意人 究竟 是 生意人,对 他们 来说,赚钱 是 最 重要 的 。Shēngyìrén jiùjìng shì shēngyìrén, duì tāmen lái shuō, zhuànqián shì zuì zhòngyào de.Businessmen are businessmen, after all. The most important thing to them is making money.
  • 家人 究竟 是 家人,也许 你 不 喜欢 他们,但 你 还是 会 爱 他们。Jiārén jiùjìng shì jiārén, yěxǔ nǐ bù xǐhuān tāmen, dàn nǐ háishì huì ài tāmen.Family is family, after all. You may not like them, but you still love them.

See Also

Sources and further reading

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