究竟

• Pinyin: jiū jìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 究 = 穴 (cave/hole) + 九 (nine, phonetic) — to investigate, probe deeply + 竟 = 音 (sound) + 儿 (legs) — to finish, after all

Meaning

After all; exactly; actually. An adverb used to press for a definitive answer or to express the desire to get to the bottom of something.

Used in questions to add emphasis and urgency, demanding a clear answer. Can also be used in statements to mean 'after all' or 'in the end.' More literary than 到底, though both are common. Frequently appears in the pattern 究竟是...还是... (is it... or is it...).

Examples

1. 你究竟想做什么？请告诉我。 What exactly do you want to do? Please tell me.
2. 这件事究竟是谁的错？ Whose fault is this, after all?
3. 我想知道他究竟去了哪里。 I want to know where exactly he went.

Usage Guide

Context: questioning, investigation, emphasis

Tone: insistent

Do Say

• 你究竟同不同意？(Do you agree or not, after all?)
• 事情究竟是怎么回事？(What exactly is going on?)

Don't Say

• 究竟，我去了超市 (Don't use 究竟 as a sentence connector like 'after all' in English — it modifies the verb within a clause, not the sentence as a whole)

Origin & History

Composed of 究 (to investigate, to examine thoroughly) and 竟 (to finish, after all), together meaning 'to thoroughly investigate to the end' — getting to the real truth.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal