Expressing "all the way until" with "zhidao"

用于描述过去发生的事时,后半句常常用"才"或"都"连接。

Affirmative Pattern

Structure

直到 + Time / Event ,Subj. + 才 + Predicate

Examples

  • 直到 十二 点 半 ,我 做 完 作业 。Zhídào shí'èr diǎn bàn, wǒ cái zuò wán zuòyè.It wasn't until half past twelve in the morning that I finished homework.
  • 直到 离开 家 ,我 知道 家 有 多 好。Zhídào wǒ líkāi jiā , wǒ cái zhīdào jiā yǒu duō hǎo.I didn't realize how great it is to be at home until I left home.
  • 直到 大学 毕业 ,我 开始 一个人 住 。Zhídào dàxué bìyè, wǒ cái kāishǐ yī gèrén zhù.It wasn't until I graduated from college that I started living alone.
  • 直到 十八 岁 见到 亲生 父母 。zhídào shíbā suì cái jiàndào qīnshēng fùmǔ.It wasn't until she was eighteen that she met her biological parents.
  • 直到 去 了 北京 ,他 知道 大 城市 的 生活 多么 不 容易 。Zhídào qù le Běijīng, tā cái zhīdào dà chéngshì de shēnghuó duōme bù róngyì.It wasn't until he went to Beijing that he began to understand that life in a big city is not easy.

Negative Pattern

Structure

直到 + Time / Event ,Subj. + 都 + 不 / 没 + Predicate

Examples

  • 直到 他 ,我们 都 没 见 过 。Zhídào tā sǐ, wǒmen dōu méi jiàn guo.We never met till his death.
  • 直到 电影 结束 ,他 都 没 来 。Zhídào diànyǐng jiéshù, tā dōu méi lái.He never showed up until the movie was over.
  • 我 认识 他 一年 多 了,直到 现在 ,我 都 不 知道 他 的 全名 。Wǒ rènshi tā yī nián duō le, zhídào xiànzài, wǒ dōu bù zhīdào tā de quánmíng.I've known him for more than one year, but I still don't know his full name now.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books