Meaning of 直到
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- until
How to use 直到
直到 marks the end point of a time span, and it often begins a clause followed by 才 (cái) to show something happened only at that point. Example: 我直到晚上十点才回家。(Wǒ zhídào wǎnshang shí diǎn cái huí jiā.) I didn't get home until 10 p.m.
直 (zhí) means straight and 到 (dào) means to arrive. Picture going straight on without stopping until you arrive at a certain point in time.
Common mistake: Learners often translate "not until" by putting 不 or 没 into the 直到 clause, as in 直到十点没回家. Chinese usually keeps the sentence positive and uses 才, as in 直到十点才回家.
直到 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.
直 zhí · straight · 8 strokes
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到 dào · to reach · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 直到.
| 看到 | kàndào | to see |
| 找到 | zhǎodào | to find |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 听到 | tīngdào | to hear |
| 回到 | huídào | to return to |
| 来到 | láidào | to arrive; to come |
| 一直 | yīzhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 见到 | jiàndào | to see |
| 做到 | zuòdào | to accomplish; to achieve |
| 感到 | gǎndào | to feel; to sense; to perceive |
| 收到 | shōudào | to receive |
| 直接 | zhíjiē | directly; direct |
Questions about 直到
What does 直到 mean?
直到 (zhídào) means "until" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 直到?
直到 is made of 2 characters: 直 (8 strokes), 到 (8 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 直到 an HSK word?
Yes. 直到 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 直到 and 到?
到 alone can also mean until, as in 等到明天 (děng dào míngtiān), wait until tomorrow. 直到 adds the feeling of continuing all the way up to that point, and it can stand at the start of a sentence, which plain 到 usually does not do in this sense.
Can 直到 be followed by a whole clause instead of a time word?
Yes. You can say 直到他来了，我们才开始。(Zhídào tā lái le, wǒmen cái kāishǐ.) We didn't start until he came. The clause after 直到 names the event that marks the end point.