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<p>One pair of confusing <a href="adverb" title="wikilink">adverbs</a> is <span class="hanzi">总算</span> (<span class="pinyin">zǒngsuàn</span>) and <span class="hanzi">终于</span> (<span class="pinyin">zhōngyú</span>). They both can be translated as "<b>finally</b>" or "<b>in the end</b>," but they subtly different in tone.</p>
<h2 id="they-have-the-same-grammatical-structure">They have the same grammatical structure</h2>
<p>Grammatically, <span class="hanzi">总算</span> and <span class="hanzi">终于</span> are basically used the same way. They are both adverbs, and they can be placed before the subject or after the subject. However, in comparison to <span class="hanzi">终于</span>, <span class="hanzi">总算</span> is seldom used before the subject. But in these sentences given below, they can be replaced with each other.</p>
<div class="jiegou">
<div class="deux">Subj. + <span class="hanzist">总算</span> / <span class="hanzist">终于</span> + Verb</div>
</div>
<h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">你 总算来了！</span> <span class="trans">You finally came!</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">我 终于 懂 了。</span> <span class="trans">I finally understood it.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">雨 总算 停 了。</span> <span class="trans">The rain finally stopped.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">我 终于 找到 你 了！</span> <span class="trans">I finally found you!</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">飞机 总算 起飞 了！</span> <span class="trans">The plane is finally taking off!</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="总算-is-more-informal-and-impatient"><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal;">总算</span> is more informal and impatient</h2>
<p>Both <span class="hanzi">总算</span> and <span class="hanzi">终于</span> express that an action has finally happened after a long wait, however <span class="hanzi">总算</span> implies that the speaker had a bit of an agonizing wait, and it has a heavier tone better suited to complaints.</p>
<h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">谢天谢地，你 总算 来 了。</span> <span class="trans">Thank God, you finally came.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">总算 没 迟到。</span> <span class="trans">You finally didn't arrive late.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">她 的 感冒 总算 好 了。</span> <span class="trans">She finally got over her cold.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="终于-is-more-formal-and-objective"><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal;">终于</span> is more formal and objective</h2>
<p><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">终于</span> is more formal than <span class="hanzi">总算</span> (in other words, <span class="hanzi">总算</span> is more for spoken Chinese), and it also has a more objective feel (meaning that there was indeed a long wait for this thing that finally happened).</p>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">你 终于 决定 了！</span> <span class="trans">You finally decided this!</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">终于 要 放假 了，开心 吧？</span> <span class="trans">You finally have your holidays. You're happy about it, aren't you?</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">你们 合作 的 项目 终于 成功 了!</span> <span class="trans">This project you've been working on together finally succeed!</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语八百词（增订本） (终于p. 687)</span><br/></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语虚词例释 (终于p. 653)</span><br/></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (<span class="hanzi">新实用汉语课本4</span>) (p. 18) </li>
</ul>
<h3 id="dictionaries">Dictionaries</h3>
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">现代汉语词典（第5版） (总算1814 终于1767)</span><br/></li>
</ul>
<h3 id="websites">Websites</h3>
<ul>
<li>Chinesegrammar.info: <a href="http://chinesegrammar.info/vocabulary/zhong1yu2-zui4hou4-difference/"> A blog with some information on 终于 by comparing it to 最后.</a></li>
</ul>
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