Meaning of 彻底
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- thorough
- thoroughly
- complete
How to use 彻底
彻底 works as an adjective or, very often, as an adverb before a verb to show something is done completely. It is common with verbs like 改变 (gǎibiàn), 解决 (jiějué) and 忘记 (wàngjì). Example: 我们要彻底解决这个问题。(Wǒmen yào chèdǐ jiějué zhège wèntí.) We need to solve this problem thoroughly.
彻 (chè) means to go all the way through, and 底 (dǐ) means the bottom, as in 海底 (hǎidǐ) seabed. Something 彻底 goes through to the very bottom, so it is thorough and complete.
Common mistake: Learners often write 彻 with the wrong side component or confuse it with 切 (qiē), which shares the right part 切 but lacks the 彳 "step" radical on the left. Also keep the tones straight: chè is fourth tone and dǐ is third tone.
彻底 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
彻 chè · penetrating · 7 strokes
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底 dǐ · bottom · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 彻底.
| 到底 | dàodǐ | finally; in the end |
| 底下 | dǐxia | the location below sth; afterwards |
| 年底 | niándǐ | end of the year |
| 月底 | yuèdǐ | end of the month |
| 海底 | hǎidǐ | seabed; seafloor; bottom of the ocean |
| 底线 | dǐxiàn | bottom line; the limit of what one is prepared to accept; (sports) baseline |
| 说到底 | shuōdàodǐ | in the final analysis; in the end |
| 底层 | dǐcéng | ground floor; first floor; lowest level; lowest rung (of society etc) |
| 彻夜 | chèyè | the whole night |
| 垫底 | diàndǐ | to put sth on the bottom; to eat sth to tide oneself over until mealtime |
| 贯彻 | guànchè | to implement; to put into practice |
| 谜底 | mídǐ | answer to a riddle |
Questions about 彻底
What does 彻底 mean?
彻底 (chèdǐ) means "thorough; thoroughly" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 彻底?
彻底 is made of 2 characters: 彻 (7 strokes), 底 (8 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 彻底 an HSK word?
Yes. 彻底 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 彻底 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 彻底 is written 徹底.
Do I need 地 after 彻底 when it modifies a verb?
No, 彻底 can go directly before the verb, as in 彻底失败 (chèdǐ shībài) completely fail. Adding 地 (de), as in 彻底地检查, is also correct and slightly more formal.
What is the difference between 彻底 and 完全 (wánquán)?
完全 simply means fully or entirely, as in 完全同意 (completely agree). 彻底 adds a sense of going to the root of something, so it fits changes, cleaning or solving problems, like 彻底打扫 (clean thoroughly).