How to say “after all” in Chinese
after all; on earth (in questions)
“After all” in Chinese is 到底, dào dǐ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
到底 is read dào dǐ: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the right, 刂 “knife”, dāo, hints at the sound.
On top, 广 “shelter”. The lower part is the same as in 低 dī.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “到底”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 到底. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你到底去不去？nǐdàodǐqùbuqùSo are you going or not?
- 你到底想做什么nǐdàodǐxiǎngzuòshénmeWhat on earth do you want to do?
More words from the lesson “Dreams and ideals”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “after all” in Chinese?
“After all” in Chinese is 到底, pinyin dàodǐ.
What does 到底 mean?
到底 (dàodǐ) means “after all; on earth (in questions)”.
How do you write 到底?
到底 is 2 characters: 到 (dào) — arrive; 底 (dǐ) — bottom; end. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 到底?
到底 is read dàodǐ. Tones: dào — fourth tone, dǐ — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“after all” in the lesson “Dreams and ideals”
This word is from the topic “Feelings and mood” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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