What does 直到 mean in Chinese?

直到 means "until" and is used to describe the time or condition up to which an action continues.

How is 直到 used in a sentence?

直到 usually introduces the end point of an action or state, as in 他直到晚上才回来 (tā zhídào wǎnshàng cái huílái), meaning "He didn’t come back until the evening."

Can 直到 be used with both time and conditions?

Yes, 直到 can refer to specific times (直到八点, "until 8 o’clock") or conditions (直到问题解决, "until the problem is solved").

Is there a difference between 直到 and just 到?

到 simply indicates reaching a point, while 直到 emphasizes the continuation of an action or state until that point.

Can 直到 be followed by verbs or just nouns?

直到 can be followed by both verbs and nouns, as in 直到结束 (zhídào jiéshù, "until the end") or 直到我们完成 (zhídào wǒmen wánchéng, "until we finish").

Do you provide Chinese classes at LTL?

Yes, we do provide Chinese classes both offline and online . LTL was founded in 2007 and our headquarters are in Beijing. We offer Chinese classes in 8 destinations across Asia and would be happy to have you in one of our schools! Contact us here if you’d like to know more about our programs or just have a chat about your study project.

Chinese Grammar Bank

HSK 4

Grammar Point	Pattern	Example
Expressing "until" with 直到	Action/State + 直到 + Condition/Result + 为止	她一直跑步，直到累得站不住为止。
Expressing "About" with 关于	关于 + Topic, ⋯⋯	关于这个项目，我们还在研究中。
Expressing suddenness with 一下子	Subject + 一下子 + Clause	他一下子明白了这个问题。