Chinese word

自始至终

Pronunciation

Pinyinzì shǐ zhì zhōng

Meaning

  • adverbfrom start to finish

Example

他自始至终都很努力。tā zì shǐ zhì zhōng dōu hěn nǔ lì

He works hard from start to finish.

Illustration for 自始至终 (from start to finish)

More examples

法院审理时，他自始至终保持沉默。fǎ yuàn shén lǐ shí tā zì shǐ zhì zhōng bǎo chí chén mò

During the court hearing, he remained silent from start to finish.

Core concept

A single unbroken line that runs from the first moment to the last.

Common phrases

  • 自始至终支持zì shǐ zhì zhōng zhī chí

    support from start to finish

  • 自始至终坚持zì shǐ zhì zhōng jiān chí

    persist from start to finish

  • 自始至终关注zì shǐ zhì zhōng guān zhù

    follow from start to finish

Similar words

一直yì zhí: Shows that an action or state keeps going over a period without a break.
始终shǐ zhōng: Shows that a belief, attitude, or condition stays unchanged all the way through.
从头到尾cóng tóu dào wěi: Refers to every part of a process, from its beginning through its end.

Definition in Chinese

表示从开始到结束，整个过程没有中断或改变，常用来强调时间或行为的连续性。biǎo shì cóng kāi shǐ dào jié shù zhěng gè guò chéng méi yǒu zhōng duàn huò gǎi biàn cháng yòng lái qiáng diào shí jiān huò xíng wéi de lián xù xìng

Word origin

The idiom joins 自 (zì, "from") + 始 (shǐ, "beginning") + 至 (zhì, "reach") + 终 (zhōng, "end"), creating a compact sequence from a starting point to an endpoint.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, it can sound more formal and emphatic than shorter everyday wording, so it often appears when a speaker wants to stress that a state or action never changes.

Other meanings

  • consistentlyadverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 始终shǐ zhōngall alongadverb
  • 自始自终zì shǐ zì zhōngfrom beginning to endidiom

Word lists with this word