直到

• 拼音: zhí dào
• 汉字拆解: 直 = 十 (ten) + 目 (eye) + 一 (one); 到 = 至 (arrive) + 刂 (knife radical)

含义

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.

例句

1. 我们一直等，直到他来了才走。
2. 她学习直到晚上十二点。
3. 直到今天我才知道这件事。

用法指南

语境: narrative, everyday

语气: emphatic

正确说法

• 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.)

错误说法

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

起源与历史

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

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal