Expressing "in the end" with "jiujing"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
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.
Note that 究竟 is more formal than 到底.
Contents
Using 究竟 in a question
Structure
究竟 + Question Word
究竟＋Verb＋没 / 不＋Verb
Examples
- 你 究竟 来 不 来？Are you coming or not?
- 你 究竟 喜 不 喜欢 我？So, do you like me or not?
- 他 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!
Using 究竟 in an affirmative sentence
究竟 can be used with 是 for an emphasis on a fact, which is similar to 毕竟, meaning "after all".
Structure
A＋究竟 + 是＋ A，……
Examples
- 老板 究竟 是 老板，想法 跟 员工 就是 不 一样。Boss is boss after all. Their way of thinking is different from their employees'.
- 孩子 究竟 是 孩子，总是 想 着 怎么 玩。Kids are kids after all. They always think about how to have fun.
- 家人 究竟 是 家人，也许 你 不 喜欢 他们，但 你 还是 会 爱 他们。Family are family after all. You may not like them, but you will still love them.
