等到

• Pinyin: děng dào
• Hanzi breakdown: 等 (děng) — to wait; 到 (dào) — to arrive, to reach

Meaning

To wait until; by the time. Indicates waiting for a specific time, event, or condition.

Used at the start of a clause to set up a temporal condition, often paired with 才 or 就 in the following clause. Conveys a sense of duration or delay before something happens.

Examples

1. 等到你来的时候，电影已经开始了。 By the time you arrived, the movie had already started.
2. 我们等到下午三点才出发。 We waited until three in the afternoon before setting off.
3. 等到天气暖和了，我们再去爬山。 Let's wait until the weather warms up, then go hiking.

Usage Guide

Context: scheduling, planning, storytelling

Tone: expectant

Do Say

• 等到周末我们再去吧。(Let's wait until the weekend to go.)
• 等到他回来，我就告诉他。(When he comes back, I'll tell him.)

Don't Say

• 不要把'等到'和'等'单独使用混淆 — 等到 introduces a time condition, while 等 alone means simply 'to wait' without specifying the endpoint.

Origin & History

Compound of 等 (to wait) and 到 (to arrive at, to reach). Together they mean 'to wait until reaching a point in time.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal