截止

• Pinyin: jié zhǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 截 = 土 + 隹 + 戈, to cut off; 止 = pictograph of a foot, to stop

Meaning

To end; to close; deadline. Indicates the ending point of a period or the cutoff for submissions.

Commonly used for deadlines in applications, registrations, and submissions. 截止日期 (deadline) and 截止时间 (cutoff time) are standard collocations. When used as a verb, it means the accepting period has ended. Different from 截至, which is used to mark a point in time for measurement.

Examples

1. 报名截止日期是下周五，还没交材料的同学抓紧了。 The registration deadline is next Friday; students who haven't submitted their materials should hurry up.
2. 这个项目的申请已经截止了，你只能等下一轮了。 Applications for this project have already closed; you can only wait for the next round.
3. 投票将在今晚十二点截止，大家记得及时投票。 Voting will end at midnight tonight; everyone remember to vote in time.

Usage Guide

Context: administrative, academic, business

Tone: formal

Do Say

• 报名什么时候截止？(When is the registration deadline?)
• 过了截止日期就不能再改了。(After the deadline, no more changes can be made.)

Don't Say

• 混淆截止和截至，如'截止目前已有一百人报名' (This should be 截至目前 — 截止 is for deadlines, 截至 is for 'as of')

Origin & History

Compound of 截 (to cut off, to intercept) + 止 (to stop). Literally 'cut off and stop' — indicates a firm ending point.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal