Chinese word

为止

Pronunciation

Pinyinwéi zhǐ

Meaning

  • particleuntil

Example

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.

Illustration for 为止 (until)

More examples

他们的合同到年底为止。tā men de hé tóng dào nián dǐ wéi zhǐ

Their contract lasts until the end of the year.

Core concept

A line drawn at the point where an unfolding situation comes to an end.

Common phrases

  • 截至今天为止jié zhì jīn tiān wéi zhǐ

    up to today

  • 到年底为止dào nián dǐ wéi zhǐ

    until the end of the year

  • 到明天为止dào míng tiān wéi zhǐ

    until tomorrow

Definition in Chinese

作为助词，表示动作、状态或情形持续到某一点为止，强调该点为界，之后不再包括，能用于时间、数量或情形等范围的终点说明。zuò wéi zhù cí biǎo shì dòng zuò zhuàng tài huò qíng xíng chí xù dào mǒu yì diǎn wéi zhǐ qiáng diào gāi diǎn wèi jiè zhī hòu bú zài bāo kuò néng yòng yú shí jiān shù liàng huò qíng xíng děng fàn wéi de zhōng diǎn shuō míng

Word origin

The compound 为止 (wéizhǐ, "until") is built from 为 (wéi, "at") and 止 (zhǐ, "stop"), linking a stated reference point with the idea of stopping.

Usage tips

  • Because it marks the edge of a range, it can follow a number as well as a time, a useful pattern in schedules, limits, and counts.

Word lists with this word