迄今

• Pinyin: qì jīn
• Hanzi breakdown: 迄 = 辶 (movement) + 乞 (reach up to) (until/up to); 今 = 人 (person) + 一 (one) (now/present)

Meaning

Up to now; until now; to date; so far. Used in formal contexts to indicate that something has continued or remained true from a past point up to the present.

Formal and literary. Common in academic writing, official reports, and historical accounts. Often followed by 为止 to form 迄今为止. Collocates with 迄今未解 (unresolved to this day), 迄今最大 (the largest to date). Not used in casual conversation.

Examples

1. 这座古城迄今已有两千余年的建城历史，历经无数朝代更迭而依然屹立不倒，魅力犹存。 This ancient city has a history of more than two thousand years, and despite countless dynastic changes, it still stands tall and retains its charm.
2. 这一悬案迄今未破，成为当地警方三十年来最难以释怀的未解之谜，深受社会各界关注。 This cold case remains unsolved to this day, becoming the most haunting mystery for local police over the past thirty years and drawing widespread public attention.
3. 研究团队迄今已在该地区发现并记录了超过三百种此前科学界从未描述过的全新物种。 To date, the research team has discovered and documented more than 300 entirely new species in the region that had never before been described by the scientific community.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, history, journalism, official

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这项跨越四十年的纵向研究迄今已追踪记录了逾五千名参与者的健康状况与生活轨迹。(This forty-year longitudinal study has to date tracked and recorded the health and life trajectories of over five thousand participants.)
• 迄今发现的最古老人类化石，已将人类演化历史追溯至数百万年前的非洲大陆东部地区。(The oldest human fossils discovered to date have pushed the timeline of human evolution back to eastern Africa millions of years ago.)

Don't Say

• 我迄今没吃早饭 — 迄今 carries formal, historical weight; for informal everyday contexts use 到现在/至今/还 instead

Origin & History

迄 (up to/until) + 今 (now/today) — reaching all the way up to the present

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal