Meaning of 等到
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to wait until
- by the time when (sth is ready etc)
How to use 等到
等到 introduces a time clause, often followed by 再 (zài), 才 (cái), or 的时候 (de shíhou) in the second part. It can also mean "to finally get" after waiting. Example: 等到你来了，我们再吃饭。(Děngdào nǐ lái le, wǒmen zài chī fàn.) We will eat when you arrive.
等 (děng) means to wait and 到 (dào) means to arrive. You wait until something arrives, so 等到 means "wait until" or "by the time."
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 等到 with 得到 (dédào, to get), because the sounds are close. 等 has a third tone and 得 has a second tone, so say děng clearly.
等到 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.
等 děng · to wait for · 12 strokes
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到 dào · to reach · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 等到.
Questions about 等到
What does 等到 mean?
等到 (děngdào) means "to wait until; by the time when (sth is ready etc)" and is used as a preposition.
How do you write 等到?
等到 is made of 2 characters: 等 (12 strokes), 到 (8 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 等到 an HSK word?
Yes. 等到 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 等到 and 直到?
直到 (zhídào) means "until" and stresses that something continues up to a point. 等到 focuses on waiting for a moment and then doing something after it, as in 等到下班再说 (wait until after work to talk about it).
Can 等到 be used as a verb by itself?
Yes. It can mean "to wait and finally get" something, as in 我等到他了 (Wǒ děngdào tā le), I finally met him after waiting. The negative is 没等到 (méi děngdào), meaning you waited but it never came.