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 "until"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "until", including 到 (dào), 至 (zhì), 逮 (dǎi / dài). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "until" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 到 (dào), 至 (zhì), 逮 (dǎi / dài) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dào, zhì, dǎi, dài — 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
- 至 zhìarrive; most; to; untilUseful words: 至少, 至今
- 逮 dǎi / dàiarrest; catch; seize; until; catch; seizeUseful words: 逮捕, 力有未逮
Common words for these 3 "until" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 到 (dào) — so "until" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
看到kàn dàoto see找到zhǎo dàoto find得到dé dàoto get; to obtain; to receive至少zhì shǎoat least; (to say the) least至今zhì jīnso far; to this day; until now甚至shèn zhìeven; so much so that逮捕dài bǔto arrest; to apprehend; to take into custody; Taiwan pr.力有未逮lì yǒu wèi dàibeyond one's reach or power (to do sth)狗逮老鼠gǒu dǎi lǎo shǔlit. a dog who catches mice (idiom); fig. to be meddlesome
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 3 ways to say "until".
至 zhì — arrive; most; to; until
这件事至今我还记得。Zhè jiàn shì zhì jīn wǒ hái jì de.I still remember this to this day.
Common words: 至少 (zhì shǎo)、至今 (zhì jīn)、甚至 (shèn zhì)
逮 dǎi / dài — arrest; catch; seize; until; catch; seize
警察很快就逮捕了那个小偷。Jǐng chá hěn kuài jiù dài bǔ le nà ge xiǎo tōu.The police quickly arrested the thief.
Common words: 逮捕 (dài bǔ)、力有未逮 (lì yǒu wèi dài)、狗逮老鼠 (gǒu dǎi lǎo shǔ)
All 3 characters
Open 到、至、逮 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.