到底 (dàodǐ) vs 究竟 (jiūjìng) vs 终于 (zhōngyú) vs 毕竟 (bìjìng)

到底 (dàodǐ) vs 究竟 (jiūjìng) vs 终于 (zhōngyú) vs 毕竟 (bìjìng)

到底 vs 究竟

到底 and 究竟 both can be used in interrogative sentences to indicate a further inquiry. They both serve to strengthen the tone of the questions.

1. 到底 and 究竟 can be placed at the beginning of the interrogative sentences.

到底 / 究竟 + Interrogative words / phrases ？

e.g.

到底/究竟为什么要那么早起床？(Dàodǐ/jiūjìng wèishéme yào nàme zǎo qǐchuáng?) Actually, why get up so early?

到底/究竟什么时候才能走到家？(Dàodǐ/jiūjìng shénme shíhòu cáinéng zǒu dàojiā?) When will I get home?

到底/究竟花了多少钱？(Dàodǐ/jiūjìng huāle duōshǎo qián?) How much did it actually cost?

到底/究竟谁迟到了？(Dàodǐ/jiūjìng shéi chídàole?) Who is actually late?

Subject + 到底 / 究竟 + Verb 不 Verb (+ Noun) ？

Subject + 到底 / 究竟 + Adjective 不 Adjective ?

Subject + 到底 / 究竟 + 有没有 + Noun ？

Subject + 到底 / 究竟 + Verb (+ Noun) 了 + 没有？

Note that到底 or 究竟 is not used in answers.

e.g.

我们明天到底/究竟去不去杭州？(Wǒmen míngtiān dàodǐ/jiūjìng qù bù qù Hángzhōu?) Are we going to Hangzhou tomorrow?

这个问题到底/究竟难不难？(Zhège wèntí dàodǐ/jiūjìng nàn bù nán?) Is this problem difficult?

这个城市到底/究竟有没有名人？(Zhège chéngshì dàodǐ/jiūjìng yǒu méiyǒu míngrén?) Are there any celebrities in this city?

你到底/究竟吃完饭了没有？(Nǐ dàodǐ/jiūjìng chī wán fàn le méiyǒu?) Have you finished your meal at all?

Note that the question with “吗” can not be used with 到底 and 究竟.

✘ 你到底/究竟吃完了饭吗？

到底 vs 终于

到底 also means a result has finally been reached after a long time or a process.

1. It indicates the result is successful after hard work. In this case, 到底 equals to 终于. 终于 is usually used to indicate somebody succeeds in doing something or has realized something.

到底 / 终于 + Verb / Adjective + 了

e.g.

走了一天，晚上到底/终于走到家了。(Zǒule yītiān, wǎnshàng dàodǐ/zhōngyú zǒu dàojiāle.) After walking for a day, I finally got home in the evening.

我们开了三个小时会，最后到底/终于达成了一致。(Wǒmen kāile sān gè xiǎoshí huì, zuìhòu dàodǐ/zhōngyú dáchéng le yīzhì.) We had a three-hour meeting and finally reached an agreement.

找了很多年，她到底/终于找到了自己的孩子。(Zhǎole hěnduō nián, tā dàodǐ/zhōngyú zhǎodàole zìjǐ de háizi.) After searching for many years, she finally found her child.

2. When “到底 + 还是 ……” is used, it often indicates the result is a failure despite the efforts made.

e.g.

我们努力了很久，这个问题到底还是没被解决。(Wǒmen nǔlìle hěnjiǔ, zhège wèntí dàodǐ háishì méi bèi jiějué.) We have worked hard for a long time, but this problem has not been solved after all.

他做了几年的实验，到底还是失败了。(Tā zuòle jǐ nián de shíyàn, dàodǐ háishì shībàile.) He did experiments for several years, but after all, he failed.

我开始减肥三个月了，到底还是没成功。(Wǒ kāishǐ jiǎnféi sān gè yuèle, dàodǐ háishì méi chénggōng.) I started to lose weight for three months, but I still didn’t succeed.

3. When 到底 modifies the verb or verb phrase, there must be “了” in the sentence. 终于 has no such limitation.

e.g.

任务终于完成（了）。(Rènwù zhōngyú wánchéng le.)

任务到底完成了。(Rènwù dàodǐ wánchéngle.)

The task is finally completed

 

他的身体终于好起来（了）。(Tā de shēntǐ zhōngyú hǎo qǐlái le.)

他的身体到底好起来了。(Tā de shēntǐ dàodǐ hǎo qǐláile.)

His body is finally getting better.

Note that 终于 is often used in written Chinese, while 到底 could be used in oral and written Chinese.

到底 vs 毕竟

到底 and 毕竟 both can be used in declarative sentences, which means “after all”. 到底 is usually used in oral Chinese, while 毕竟 can be used either in oral Chinese or written Chinese.

1. 到底 / 毕竟 + the reason, the situation

Note that there might be various reasons that lead to a result. This pattern shows that the speaker considers this reason to be one of the most important ones.

e.g.

我到底/毕竟不是你的家人，这么重要的决定你还是要和家人商量。(Wǒ dàodǐ/bìjìng bùshì nǐ de jiārén, zhème zhòngyào de juédìng nǐ háishì yào hé jiārén shāngliáng.) I’m not your family after all. You still have to discuss such an important decision with your family.

你到底/毕竟只学了半年汉语，听不懂中国人说话很正常。(Nǐ dàodǐ/bìjìng zhǐ xuéle bànnián Hànyǔ, tīng bù dǒng Zhōngguó rén shuōhuà hěn zhèngcháng.) After all, you have only learned Chinese for half a year, and it is normal not to understand Chinese people.

他到底/毕竟还是个孩子，很多事情他现在还不能理解。(Tā dàodǐ/bìjìng háishì gè háizi, hěnduō shìqíng tā xiànzài hái bùnéng lǐjiě.) He is still a child after all, and he still can’t understand many things.

 

2. 虽然 + negative factor, 可/但 + 到底/毕竟 + positive factor, the result

Note that the part after 到底/毕竟 is the emphasis of the sentence.

e.g.

虽然你不喜欢她，但她到底/毕竟是目前最好的选择，你还是考虑一下她吧。(Suīrán nǐ bù xǐhuān tā, dàn tā dàodǐ/bìjìng shì mùqián zuì hǎo de xuǎnzé, nǐ háishì kǎolǜ yīxià tā ba.) Although you don’t like her, she is/after all the best choice at the moment, you should consider her.

虽然这件衣服有点贵，可到底/毕竟难得遇到那么合适的款式，所以我还是买了。(Suīrán zhè jiàn yīfú yǒudiǎn guì, kě dàodǐ/bìjìng nándé yù dào nàme héshì de kuǎnshì, suǒyǐ wǒ háishì mǎile.) Although this dress is a bit expensive, it is rare/after all, it is rare to encounter such a suitable style, so I still bought it.

虽然汉语发音不容易，写汉字更难，但到底/毕竟很有用，所以我还是会继续学的。(Suīrán Hànyǔ fāyīn bù róngyì, xiě Hànzì gèng nán, dàn dàodǐ/bìjìng hěn yǒuyòng, suǒyǐ wǒ háishì huì jìxù xué de.) Although Chinese pronunciation is not easy, writing Chinese characters is even more difficult, but after all, it is very useful, so I will continue to learn it.

3. (Noun) + 到底/毕竟 + 是 + Noun

Note that the former and the latter noun are the same.

e.g.

（明星）到底/毕竟是明星，太迷人了！(Míngxīng dàodǐ/bìjìng shì míngxīng, tài mírénle!) It’s a star after all, so charming!

（孩子）到底/毕竟是孩子，刚刚还在哭，现在就笑了。(Háizi dàodǐ/bìjìng shì háizi, gānggāng hái zài kū, xiànzài jiù xiàole.) After all, it is a child, who was crying just now, and now he is laughing.

（北方）到底/毕竟是北方，冬天真的太冷了。(Běifāng dàodǐ/bìjìng shì běifāng, dōngtiān zhēn de tài lěngle.) After all, it is the north, and the winter is really too cold.