Chinese word

直到

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhí dào

Meaning

  • conjunctionuntil

Example

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.

Illustration for 直到 (until)

More examples

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

He did not move house until he retired.

Core concept

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

Common phrases

  • 直到明天zhí dào míng tiān

    until tomorrow

  • 直到考试结束zhí dào kǎo shì jié shù

    until the end of the exam

  • 直到那时zhí dào nà shí

    until that time

Similar words

等到děng dào: Sets a time or event to be reached before the following action occurs.
一直到yì zhí dào: Sets the endpoint up to which an action or state goes on continuously.

Definition in Chinese

作连词，表示在时间或事件上有一个终点，某个动作或状态持续到该终点才结束或发生。zuò lián cí biǎo shì zài shí jiān huò shì jiàn shàng yǒu yí gè zhōng diǎn mǒu gè dòng zuò huò zhuàng tài chí xù dào gāi zhōng diǎn cái jié shù huò fā shēng

Word origin

直到 (zhídào, "straight-arrive") joins 直 (zhí, "straight") and 到 (dào, "arrive"), picturing a course that goes directly to its endpoint before it stops.

Usage tips

  • 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.

Opposites

Word lists with this word