Meaning of 迟到
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to arrive late
How to use 迟到
迟到 is used for being late to school, work, meetings, or appointments. It is an intransitive verb, so the place usually comes before it with 去 or is left out. Example: 他今天上班迟到了。(Tā jīntiān shàngbān chídào le.) He was late for work today.
迟 (chí) means late or slow, and 到 (dào) means to arrive. Put them together and you get "late arrive," which is exactly what 迟到 means.
Common mistake: Learners often say 迟到会议 for "late for the meeting," but 迟到 does not take a direct object. Say 开会迟到了 (kāihuì chídào le) instead. Also keep the second tone on 迟 (chí) and do not confuse it with 吃 (chī), to eat.
迟到 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.
迟 chí · late · 7 strokes
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到 dào · to reach · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 迟到.
Questions about 迟到
What does 迟到 mean?
迟到 (chídào) means "to arrive late" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 迟到?
迟到 is made of 2 characters: 迟 (7 strokes), 到 (8 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 迟到 an HSK word?
Yes. 迟到 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 迟到 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 迟到 is written 遲到.
How do I say "I was ten minutes late" with 迟到?
Put the length of time after the verb: 我迟到了十分钟 (wǒ chídào le shí fēnzhōng). The time phrase goes after 迟到, not before it.
What is the difference between 迟到 and 晚了?
迟到 specifically means arriving late to a set time or event. 晚了 (wǎn le) is broader and means "it is late" or "too late," as in 太晚了 (tài wǎn le). In casual speech 我来晚了 (wǒ lái wǎn le) is also a common way to say you arrived late.