直到

• Pinyin: zhí dào
• Hanzi breakdown: 直 = 十 (ten) + 目 (eye) + 一 (one); 到 = 至 (arrive) + 刂 (knife radical)

Meaning

Until; up to. Indicates a continuous action or state lasting up to a certain point in time or event.

Used to express that something continues without interruption until a specified time or event. Often paired with 才 to emphasise the lateness or significance of the endpoint. Can be used for both time (直到明天) and conditions (直到你回来). More emphatic than simply stating the endpoint.

Examples

1. 我们一直等，直到他来了才走。 We kept waiting and didn't leave until he came.
2. 她学习直到晚上十二点。 She studied until midnight.
3. 直到今天我才知道这件事。 I didn't know about this until today.

Usage Guide

Context: narrative, everyday

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 他一直跑，直到终点。(He kept running until the finish line.)
• 直到毕业我们才分开。(We didn't part ways until graduation.)

Don't Say

• 直到明天见。(Don't use 直到 as a standalone farewell — it needs a full clause; say 明天见 instead)

Origin & History

直 (straight, continuously) + 到 (arrive, reach). Together they mean 'continuously reaching to,' hence 'until.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal