Chinese word

迟到

Pronunciation

Pinyinchí dào

Meaning

  • verbbe late

Example

对不起，我迟到了。duì bù qǐ wǒ chí dào le

Sorry, I'm late.

Illustration for 迟到 (be late)

More examples

因为路上堵车，他上班迟到了。yīn wèi lù shàng dǔ chē tā shàng bān chí dào le

Because there was a traffic jam on the way, he was late for work.

Core concept

A planned arrival or beginning slipping beyond its agreed time.

Common phrases

  • 上课迟到shàng kè chí dào

    be late for class

  • 上班迟到shàng bān chí dào

    be late for work

  • 经常迟到jīng cháng chí dào

    often be late

Similar words

耽误dān wù: Causing a person, task, or plan to fall behind schedule by using up needed time.
来不及lái bù jí: Not having enough time to arrive by a set time or complete an action.
错过cuò guò: Missing a scheduled time or opportunity by failing to arrive or act in time.

Definition in Chinese

到达或开始的时间超过原定时间，强调晚于约定到达，常用于人到场或活动开始的情况。dào dá huò kāi shǐ de shí jiān chāo guò yuán dìng shí jiān qiáng diào wǎn yú yuē dìng dào dá cháng yòng yú rén dào chǎng huò huó dòng kāi shǐ de qíng kuàng

Word origin

迟 (chí, "late") + 到 (dào, "arrive") combines to express arriving after the expected time.

Usage tips

  • English often uses "late" for both people and transport, but everyday Chinese usually uses this verb for a person who arrives after the agreed time.

Other meanings

  • latenessnoun

Opposites

  • 早到zǎo dàoarrive earlyverb
  • 准时到达zhǔn shí dào dáarrive on timeverb

Word lists with this word