到 dào — to (a place); until (a time); up to; to go; to arrive
火车准时到了车站。Huǒ chē zhǔn shí dào le chē zhàn.The train arrived at the station on time.
Common words: 看到 (kàn dào)、找到 (zhǎo dào)、得到 (dé dào)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to arrive"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to arrive", including 到 (dào), 临 (lín). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to arrive" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 到 (dào), 临 (lín) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dào, lín — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 到 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 到 dàoto (a place); until (a time); up to; to go; to arriveUseful words: 看到, 找到
- 临 línto face; to overlook; to arrive; to be (just) about to; just beforeUseful words: 面临, 临时
Common words for these 2 "to arrive" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 到 (dào) — so "to arrive" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to arrive".
临 lín — to face; to overlook; to arrive; to be (just) about to; just before
临走前，他和大家一一道别。Lín zǒu qián, tā hé dà jiā yī yī dào bié.Before leaving, he said goodbye to everyone one by one.
Common words: 面临 (miàn lín)、临时 (lín shí)、光临 (guāng lín)
All 2 characters
Open 到、临 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.