赶到

• Pinyin: gǎn dào
• Hanzi breakdown: 赶 = 走 (walk/run) + 干 (phonetic), to hurry; 到 = 至 (arrive) + 刂 (knife), meaning to arrive at

Meaning

To rush to; to hurry to arrive at. Reaching a place quickly, often implying urgency.

Verb-complement combination of 赶 (rush) and 到 (arrive). Emphasises both the urgency of travel and the successful arrival. Often used when describing getting somewhere just in time or racing to a location.

Examples

1. 他从家里赶到了医院。 He rushed from home to the hospital.
2. 警察很快赶到了事故现场。 The police quickly rushed to the accident scene.
3. 我下了课就赶到火车站去接你。 I'll rush to the train station to pick you up right after class.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, emergency, travel

Tone: urgent

Do Say

• 消防员很快赶到了火灾现场。(The firefighters quickly rushed to the fire scene.)
• 我尽量赶到机场送你。(I'll try my best to rush to the airport to see you off.)

Don't Say

• 我慢慢赶到了公园 (Don't pair 慢慢 with 赶到 — 赶到 implies urgency and speed, which contradicts 慢慢; use 走到 or 来到 for unhurried arrival)

Origin & History

Verb-complement combination of 赶 (rush, hurry) and 到 (arrive at), indicating hurrying to reach a destination.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal