Expressing "in the end" with "jiujing"

When someone asks you "what on earth are you doing?", "on earth" is used by the speaker to intensify the question. 究竟 (jiūjìng) can be used in the same way.

Structure

究竟 + Question Word

究竟+Verb+没 / 不+Verb

Examples

  • 究竟 来 不 来?Are you coming or not?
  • 究竟 喜 不 喜欢 我?So, do you like me or not?
  • 究竟 是 不 是 你 女朋友?So, is she your girlfriend or not?
  • 这 个 人 究竟 是 谁?Who on earth is this guy?
  • 我们 究竟 还 要 等 多久?How much longer do we still need to spend on this project?
  • 你们 究竟 想 让 我 怎么 做?What on earth do you want me to do?
  • 冠军究竟 是 哪个 队?广告 之后 就 会 知道!Which team will win the champion in the end? Find out after these commercials!

Note that 究竟 is more formal than 到底.

See Also

Sources and further reading

Books