Complement with "dao"

One kind of complement in Chinese involves putting 到 after the verb. 到 (dào) is used to indicate that the action has obtained a goal or a certain state.

Structure

You will sometimes see 一直 (yīzhí) proceeding 到, which serves the purpose of the emphasis on the "ongoing duration."

Examples

你们要玩到几点？ Nǐmen yào wán dào jǐ diǎn? When will you be done playing?
我们在酒吧一直聊到半夜。 Wǒmen zài jiǔbā yīzhí liáo dào bànyè. We were chatting in the bar until midnight.
你弟弟要在我们家住到什么时候？ Nǐ dìdi yào zài wǒmen jiā zhù dào shénme shíhou? How much longer is your younger brother going to stay in our house?
昨天的会一直开到晚上九点。 Zuótiān de huì yīzhí kāi dào wǎnshang jiǔ diǎn. Yesterday's meeting lasted until 9 pm.
我邻居今天吵架了，一直吵到警察过来。 Wǒ línjū jīntiān chǎojià le, yīzhí chǎo dào jǐngchá guòlái. My neighbors had a fight today, which lasted until the police came.
我们晚上去吃火锅了，一直吃到火锅店关门。 Wǒmen wǎnshang qù chī huǒguō le, yīzhí chī dào huǒguō diàn guānmén. We went to eat hotpot tonight, and we didn't finish until the place was closed.
他昨天一天都在打游戏，一直打到他妈妈回家。 Tā zuótiān yī tiān dōu zài dǎ yóuxì, yīzhí dǎ dào tā māma huí jiā. He was playing computer games all day yesterday. He didn't stop until his mother came home.

If the is a verb phrase proceeding 到, use this structure:

Some examples:

你知不知道我们等你等到半夜？ Nǐ zhī bu zhīdào wǒmen děng nǐ děng dào bànyè? Do you know we waited for you until midnight?
我女儿昨天晚上写作业写到十二点半。 Wǒ nǚ'ér zuótiān wǎnshang xiě zuòyè xiě dào shí'èr diǎn bàn. My daughter didn't finish her homework until 12:30 last night.
她给男朋友打电话打到手机没电。 Tā gěi nánpéngyou dǎ diànhuà dǎ dào shǒujī méi diàn. She called her boyfriend and they kept talking until her phone was out of battery.

Complement with "dao"

Contents

Structure

Examples

If the is a verb phrase proceeding 到, use this structure:

Some examples:

See also

Sources and further reading

Books