Chinese word

究竟

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiū jìng

Meaning

  • adverbwhat on earth

Example

你究竟想干什么？nǐ jiū jìng xiǎng gàn shén me

What on earth are you trying to do?

Illustration for 究竟 (what on earth)

More examples

这件事究竟怎么回事？zhè jiàn shì jiū jìng zěn me huí shì

What on earth is going on with this?

Core concept

An insistent search that presses past the surface to the final answer.

Common phrases

  • 究竟怎么回事jiū jìng zěn me huí shì

    what on earth is going on

  • 究竟为什么jiū jìng wèi shén me

    why on earth

Similar words

到底dào dǐ: Adds strong emphasis when asking how a matter will turn out or what is true.

Definition in Chinese

表示强烈追问或强调，常用于疑问句中，表示想弄清隐藏的事实、原因或结论。biǎo shì qiáng liè zhuī wèn huò qiáng diào cháng yòng yú yí wèn jù zhōng biǎo shì xiǎng nòng qīng yǐn cáng de shì shí yuán yīn huò jié lùn

Word origin

究 (jiū, "investigate deeply") + 竟 (jìng, "come to an end") links the search for a matter's root with the point where its outcome becomes clear.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this adverb can make a question sound pressing, so a calm voice keeps strong curiosity from sounding like blame.

Other meanings

  • after alladverb

Word lists with this word