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

到底 ⋯⋯ ，Reason / Characteristic

Examples

• 到底 是 个 大 老板，出手 就是 大方 。 Dàodǐ shì ge dà lǎobǎn, chūshǒu jiùshì dàfang.Look how generous he is with money. He is a high-level boss, after all....
• 到底 是 个 高手，这么 快 就 把 问题 解决 了！Dàodǐ shì ge gāoshǒu, zhème kuài jiù bǎ wèntí jiějué le!"He is a master, after all. Look how quickly he solved the problem.
• 到底 还 是 孩子，有些 事情 他 不 懂 是 很 正常 的。Dàodǐ háishì háizi, yǒuxiē shìqing tā bù dǒng shì hěn zhèngcháng de."He is a kid, after all. It's normal for him to not understand some things.

到底 as 究竟 or "on earth"

到底 can be used to mean "on earth" (as in "what on earth?!") where it is used to add emphasis or urgency to 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 zěnme 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?Speak up! Who on earth is your boyfriend?
• 你 到底 说 不 说？Nǐ dàodǐ shuō bu shuō?Are you going to tell me or not?
• 你 到底 喜 不 喜欢 我？Nǐ dàodǐ xǐ bu xǐhuan 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 吗 ？Nǐ dàodǐ chī le ma?
• 你 到底 吃 了 没有 ？Nǐ dàodǐ chī le méiyǒu?Have you eaten or not?

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 qilái le.The weather is finally getting warm.
• 他 到底 想 明白 了。Tā dàodǐ xiǎng míngbai le.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 chénggōng le.After working on it for over two years, our project finally succeeded.

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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