到底

Chinese

		to (a place); until (a time); up to to (a place); until (a time); up to; to go; to arrive	background; bottom; base background; bottom; base; (possessive part.); (subor. part.)
trad. (到底)		到	底
simp. #(到底)		到	底

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): dàodǐ

  (Zhuyin): ㄉㄠˋ ㄉㄧˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): dou³ dai²

• Gan (Wiktionary): dau⁴ di
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): to-tái

  (Meixian, Guangdong): dau⁴ dai³

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tò-tí / tò͘-tí / tàu-tí / tàu-té / tàu-tóe / kàu-tóe / kàu-té
• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁵tau-ti
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): dau⁴ di³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: dàodǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄉㄠˋ ㄉㄧˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: dàodǐ
    • Wade–Giles: tao⁴-ti³
    • Yale: dàu-dǐ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dawdii
    • Palladius: даоди (daodi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɑʊ̯⁵¹ ti²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: dou³ dai²
    • Yale: dou dái
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dou³ dai²
    • Guangdong Romanization: dou³ dei²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tou̯³³ tɐi̯³⁵/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: dau⁴ di
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tau³⁵ ti²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: to-tái
    • Hakka Romanization System: do dai`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: do⁴ dai³
    • Sinological IPA: /to⁵⁵ tai̯³¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: dau⁴ dai³
    • Sinological IPA: /tau⁵³⁻⁵⁵ taɪ³¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tò-tí
    • Tâi-lô: tò-tí
    • Phofsit Daibuun: doirdie
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /to²¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tò͘-tí
    • Tâi-lô: tòo-tí
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dordie
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tɔ⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ ti⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, variant in Taiwan, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tàu-tí
    • Tâi-lô: tàu-tí
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dao'die
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Philippines): /tau⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ ti⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tau¹¹⁻⁵³ ti⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tau²¹⁻⁴¹ ti⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tàu-té
    • Tâi-lô: tàu-té
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dao'dea
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tau²¹⁻⁴¹ te⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Taipei, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tàu-tóe
    • Tâi-lô: tàu-tué
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dao'doea
    • IPA (Taipei): /tau¹¹⁻⁵³ tue⁵³/
    • IPA (Singapore): /tau²¹⁻⁴² tue⁴²/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kàu-tóe
    • Tâi-lô: kàu-tué
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kao'doea
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kau²¹⁻⁵³ tue⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kau¹¹⁻⁵³ tue⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kau⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ tue⁵⁵⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kàu-té
    • Tâi-lô: kàu-té
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kao'dea
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kau²¹⁻⁴¹ te⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kau²¹⁻⁵³ te⁵³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁵tau-ti
    • MiniDict: tau^去 ti
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²tau-ti
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /tɔ³³ ti⁴⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: dau⁴ di³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɒu̯⁴⁵ ti⁴¹/

Adverb

到底

1. actually; exactly; are or are not

   到底出什麼事了？ [MSC, trad.]
   到底出什么事了？ [MSC, simp.]

   Dàodǐ chū shénme shì le? [Pinyin]

   What happened?

   你到底愛不愛我？ [MSC, trad.]
   你到底爱不爱我？ [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ dàodǐ ài bù ài wǒ? [Pinyin]

   Do you love me or not?

   我想看看真正的中國到底是個什麼樣子。 [MSC, trad.]
   我想看看真正的中国到底是个什么样子。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ xiǎng kànkàn zhēnzhèng de Zhōngguó dàodǐ shì ge shénme yàngzǐ. [Pinyin]

   I want to see what the real China is like.

2. after all; in the end; all in all
3. finally; in the end; when all is said and done

   離異家庭到底還是會影響到孩子。 [MSC, trad.]
   离异家庭到底还是会影响到孩子。 [MSC, simp.]

   Líyì jiātíng dàodǐ háishì huì yǐngxiǎng dào háizi. [Pinyin]

   Children from divorced families will be affected in the end.

4. until the end; to the finish; until something is done

   既然已經幫助他了，就索性幫到底。 [MSC, trad.]
   既然已经帮助他了，就索性帮到底。 [MSC, simp.]

   Jìrán yǐjīng bāngzhù tā le, jiù suǒxìng bāng dàodǐ. [Pinyin]

   Since we've already helped him out, we might as well help until the job is done.

   • 我們將和所有願意抗日到底的階級、階層、政黨、政團以及個人，堅持統一戰線，實行長期合作。 [MSC, trad.]
     我们将和所有愿意抗日到底的阶级、阶层、政党、政团以及个人，坚持统一战线，实行长期合作。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1940, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《新民主主義論》 (On New Democracy), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

     Wǒmen jiāng hé suǒyǒu yuànyì kàngrì dàodǐ de jiējí, jiēcéng, zhèngdǎng, zhèngtuán yǐjí gèrén, jiānchí tǒngyī zhànxiàn, shíxíng chángqī hézuò. [Pinyin]

     We shall persevere in the united front and practice long-term co-operation with all those classes, strata, political parties and groups and individuals that are willing to fight Japan to the end.

Synonyms

• (actually): 究竟 (jiūjìng)
• (after all):

• 畢竟／毕竟 (bìjìng)
• 究竟 (jiūjìng)

 

• (finally):

• 到尾 (Eastern Min)
• 卒之 (zeot¹ zi¹) (Cantonese)
• 始終／始终 (shǐzhōng)
• 算是 (suànshì)
• 終／终 (zhōng) (literary, or in compounds)
• 終久／终久 (zhōngjiǔ)
• 終於／终于 (zhōngyú)
• 終歸／终归 (zhōngguī)
• 終究／终究 (zhōngjiū)
• 終須／终须 (zung¹ seoi¹) (Cantonese)
• 總是／总是 (zǒngshì)
• 總歸／总归 (zǒngguī)
• 總算／总算 (zǒngsuàn)
• 高低 (gāodī)

 

Derived terms

• 打破砂鍋問到底／打破砂锅问到底 (dǎpò shāguō wèn dàodǐ)
• 歸根到底／归根到底 (guīgēndàodǐ)
• 說到底／说到底 (shuōdàodǐ)

 

References

• (Min Nan) “Entry #3641”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
到	底
とう Grade: S	てい Grade: 4
on’yomi

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) とーてー [tòótéé] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [to̞ːte̞ː]

Adverb

到(とう)底(てい) • (tōtei) 

1. absolutely, (with negative verb) possibly (as in "couldn't possibly"), utterly
   • 1908, 夏目漱石(なつめそうせき) [Natsume Sōseki], 夢十夜(ゆめじゅうや) (Yume jūya)‎^[1]:

     とうてい死(し)にそうには見(み)えない。

     Tōtei shinisō ni wa mienai.

     It didn't appear possible that [she] was about to die.

References

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.