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<p><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">到底</span> (<span class="pinyin">dàodǐ</span>) literally means "<b>to the bottom</b>," and often is used where the speaker wants to get to the bottom of a problem or issue, emphasizing or questioning what the real reason for something is.</p>
<h2 id="到底-as-毕竟-or-in-the-end"><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal;">到底</span> as <span class="hanzist">毕竟</span> or "in the end"</h2>
<p>It is often used like <a href="%E6%AF%95%E7%AB%9F" class="uri" title="wikilink">毕竟</a>, to mean "<b>after all</b>" or "<b>in the end</b>." When used in this way, <span class="hanzi">到底</span> is used to emphasize a reason or characteristic the speaker considers to be most important.</p>
<h3 id="structure-1">Structure 1</h3>
<div class="jiegou"><div class="deux"><span class="hanzist">到底</span> + Reason / Characteristic</div>
</div>
<h3 id="examples">Examples</h3>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">到底 是 个 大 老板，出手 就是 大方 。</span>  <span class="vert">"He is a high-level boss, after all...")</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">到底 是 个 高手，这么 快 就 把 问题 解决 了！</span> <span class="vert">"He is a master, after all...")</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">到底 还 是 孩子，有些 事情 他 不 懂 是 很 正常 的。</span> <span class="vert">"He is a kid, after all...")</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h3 id="structure-2">Structure 2</h3>
<div class="jiegou">
<div class="deux"><span class="hanzist">虽然 + A， 但是 + 到底 + B， C</span><br/></div>
</div>
<p>In this structure, A and B are reasons or characteristics, and C is a result or conclusion. For this one, although it's possible to use <span class="hanzi">到底</span>, <a href="%E6%AF%95%E7%AB%9F" class="uri" title="wikilink">毕竟</a> is definitely the more common choice, so for examples of this usage, see <a href="expressing_"after_all"_with_"bijing"" title="wikilink">expressing "after all" with "bijing"</a>. <a href="%E6%AF%95%E7%AB%9F" class="uri" title="wikilink">毕竟</a> can be placed before and after the Subject in this case, but <span class="hanzi">到底</span> is usually placed after the Subject.</p>
<h2 id="到底-as-究竟-or-on-earth"><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal;">到底</span> as <span class="hanzist">究竟</span> or "on earth"</h2>
<p><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">到底</span> can be used to mean "<b>on earth</b>," where it is used to emphasize a question. In this sense, <span class="hanzi">到底</span> is similar to <a href="Expressing_"In_the_End"_with_"jiujing"" title="wikilink">究竟</a>.</p>
<h3 id="structure">Structure</h3>
<div class="jiegou"><div class="deux"><span class="hanzist">到底</span> + Question Word</div>
<div class="deux"><span class="hanzist">到底</span> + Verb ＋ <span class="hanzist">不 / 没</span> ＋ Verb</div>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-1">Examples</h3>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">你 到底 怎么 了？</span> <span class="trans">What on earth is up with you?</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">到底 怎么 走？</span> <span class="trans">How on earth do we get there?</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">快 说 啊！你 男友 到底 是 谁？</span> <span class="trans">Come on! Who on earth is your boyfriend?</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">你 到底 说 不 说？</span> <span class="trans">Are you going to say it or not?</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">你 到底 喜 不 喜欢 我？</span> <span class="trans">Do you like me or not?</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">他们 到底 离 没 离婚？</span> <span class="trans">Did they get divorced or not?</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<p>Note that <span class="hanzi">到底</span> can't appear in an answer to a question. Also, <span class="hanzi">吗</span> can't appear in a question formed with <span class="hanzi">到底 </span>but <span class="hanzi">没有</span> can be used instead:</p>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">你 到底 吃 了 没有 ？</span><br/></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">你 到底 吃 了 吗 ？</span><br/></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="到底-as-终于-or-finally"><span style="color: rgb(255, 127, 80); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 30px; font-weight: normal;">到底</span> as <span class="hanzist">终于</span> or "finally"</h2>
<p><span style="color: rgb(139, 0, 0); font-family: NotoSansCJKsc; font-size: 22px;">到底</span> can be used to mean "<b>finally</b>." In this sense, <span class="hanzi">到底</span> is similar to <a href="Expressing_"finally"_with_"zhongyu"" title="wikilink">终于</a>.</p>
<h3 id="structure-3">Structure</h3>
<div class="jiegou"><div class="deux"><span class="hanzist">到底</span> ＋ Verb ＋ <span class="hanzist">了</span></div>
</div>
<h3 id="examples-2">Examples</h3>
<div class="exemple">
<ul>
<li><span class="hanzi">天气 到底 暖和 起来 了。</span> <span class="trans">It‘s finally getting warm.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">他 到底 想 明白 了。</span> <span class="trans">He finally understood.</span></li>
<li><span class="hanzi">经过 两 年 多 的 努力，我们 的 项目到底 成功 了。</span> <span class="trans">Our program finally succeed after we worked on this for over two years.</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="Expressing_"After_All"_with_"bijing"" title="wikilink">Expressing "After All" with "bijing"</a></li>
<li><a href="Expressing_"In_the_End"_with_"jiujing"" title="wikilink">Expressing "In the End" with "jiujing"</a></li>
</ul>
<h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
<h3 id="books">Books</h3>
<ul>
<li>Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (<span class="hanzi">汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级</span>) (pp. 127-33) </li>
<li>Boya Chinese Lower Intermediate 2 (<span class="hanzi">博雅汉语准中级加速篇</span>) (pp.183-5) </li>
</ul>
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