When someone asks you "what on earth are you doing?," "究竟 (jiūjìng)" is used by the speaker to intensify the question. In this case, 究竟 is similar to 到底.

Using 究竟 in a question

Using 究竟 in a special question

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Examples

这个人究竟是谁？ Who on earth is this guy?
你究竟是做什么的？ What exactly do you do?
他们究竟什么时候到？ When exactly are they arriving?
我们究竟还要等多久？ How much longer do we still need to wait?
你们究竟想让我怎么做？ What on earth do you want me to do?

Using 究竟 in a yes / no question

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Examples

你究竟来不来？ Are you coming or not?
你们究竟能不能帮我？ Can you guys help me or not?
她究竟是不是你女朋友？ So, is she your girlfriend or not?
你究竟喜不喜欢我？ So, do you like me or not?
经理究竟同不同意？ Does the manager agree or not?

Using 究竟 in an affirmative sentence

究竟 can be used with 是 for an emphasis on a fact, which is similar to 毕竟, meaning "after all."

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Examples

孩子究竟是孩子，总是想着怎么玩。 Kids are kids after all. They always think about how to have fun.
上海究竟是上海，生活成本就是高。 Shanghai is Shanghai after all. The living expense here is high.
年轻人究竟是年轻人，精力真好。 Young people are young people after all. Their are so energetic.
生意人究竟是生意人，对他们来说，赚钱是最重要的。 Businessman is businessman after all. The most important thing to them is making money.
家人究竟是家人，也许你不喜欢他们，但你还是会爱他们。 Family are family after all. You may not like them, but you will still love them.

Using 究竟 in a question

Using 究竟 in a special question

Structure

Examples

Using 究竟 in a yes / no question

Structure

Examples

Using 究竟 in an affirmative sentence

Structure

Examples

See Also

Sources and further reading

Books