English–Chinese

“until” in Chinese

Chinese

Also等到 (děng dào) · 为止 (wéi zhǐ) · 直至 (zhí zhì)

Pinyinzhí dào

直到天黑我们才回家。zhí dào tiān hēi wǒ men cái huí jiā

We didn't go home until it got dark.

“Until” in Chinese is 直到 (zhí dào).

A path keeps going and stops at a marked time or event.

他直到退休才搬家。tā zhí dào tuì xiū cái bān jiā

He did not move house until he retired.

The pattern 直到 (zhídào, "until") + a time or event puts the endpoint first, while 才 (cái, "only then") can show that the main action happens only at that point.

děng dào

conjunctionuntil

我们等到他到才开始。wǒ men děng dào tā dào cái kāi shǐ

We won't start until he arrives.

wéi zhǐ

particleuntil

会议持续到下午五点为止。huì yì chí xù dào xià wǔ wú diǎn wéi zhǐ

The meeting continued until 5 p.m.

zhí zhì

conjunctionuntil

直至天黑，他才回家。zhí zhì tiān hēi tā cái huí jiā

He did not return home until dark.