▎到底, dàodĭ, (Adv), after all? how on earth...?

 

Function The adverb 到底 is used when the speaker is perplexed about something and is anxious to find out about the truth. The sentence carries a strong tone of inquisitiveness and impatience.

1 小陳幾天以前說想去麵包店當學徒，今天說想去鄉下種水果，他到底想做什麼？

Xiǎo Chén jǐ tiān yǐqián shuō xiǎng qù miànbāo diàn dāng xuétú, jīntiān shuō xiǎng qù xiāngxià zhòng shuǐguǒ, tā dàodǐ xiǎng zuò shénme?

The other day, Xiao Chen said he wanted to apprentice at a bakery. Today, he said he wants to go to the countryside and grow fruit. What does he really want to do?

2 你不要看到新型的電子產品就買，「貨比三家不吃虧」這句話的意思，你到底懂不懂？

Nǐ bú yào kàndào xīnxíng de diànzǐ chǎnpǐn jiù mǎi, ‘huò bǐ sān jiā bù chīkuī’ zhè jù huà de yìsi, nǐ dàodǐ dǒng bù dǒng?

Stop buying the latest electronic product whenever you see one. You understand the saying ‘shop around and you won’t get ripped off’, don’t you?

3 那家商店賣的鳳梨酥特別受歡迎，他們到底用的是什麼行銷方式？

Nà jiā shāngdiàn mài de fènglísū tèbié shòu huānyíng, tāmen dàodǐ yòng de shì shénme xíngxiāo fāngshì?

The pineapple cakes sold at that store are especially popular. What is their marketing scheme?

4 我昨天介紹給你的那位先生，到底你對他的印象怎麼樣？

Wǒ zuótiān jièshào gěi nǐ de nà wèi xiānshēng, dàodǐ nǐ duì tā de yìnxiàng zěnmeyàng?

What is your impression of the gentleman I introduced to you yesterday?

5 看到你有這麼多好朋友，真羨慕你。你到底是怎麼跟別人建立關係的？

Kàndào nǐ yǒu zhème duō hǎo péngyǒu, zhēn xiànmù nǐ. Nǐ dàodǐ shì zěnme gēn biérén jiànlì guānxi de?

You have so many friends. I really envy you. How in the world do you make friends like that?

 

Usage 到底 is a member of a sub-group of adverbs that can move to the sentence-initial position. It is only used in non-嗎ma questions. It can appear either before or after the subject, but when the subject is a question-word, 到底 can only occur sentence-initially.

1 a. 你到底去不去？

Nǐ dàodǐ qù bú qù?

b. 到底你去不去？

Dàodǐ nǐ qù bú qù?

Are you or are you not going?

2 a. 他到底哪裡不舒服？

Tā dàodǐ nǎlǐ bù shūfú?

b. 到底他哪裡不舒服？

Dàodǐ tā nǎlǐ bù shūfú?

Where, exactly, is he feeling pain?

3 a. 你到底買菜了沒有？

Nǐ dàodǐ mǎi cài le méi yǒu?

b. 到底你買菜了沒有？

Dàodǐ nǐ mǎi cài le méi yǒu?

Did you buy vegetables after all?

But you cannot say:

1 ＊誰到底要去？

＊Shéi dàodǐ yào qù?

Who on earth wants to go?

2 ＊哪裡到底好玩？

＊Nǎlǐ dàodǐ hǎowán?

Where after all fun place?

3 ＊什麼人到底才能參加？

＊Shénme rén dàodǐ cái néng cānjiā?

Who on earth can join?

Prior to saying a 到底 question like 臭豆腐到底臭不臭？Chòudòufǔ dàodǐ chòu bú chòu? ‘Is stinky toufu really smelly?’, one of the statements below must be true.

(1) Some say it is, while others say it is not.

(2) Someone keeps saying it is or it is not.

In the following situations, it cannot be used.

(1) Nobody is talking about 臭豆腐chòudòufǔ ‘stinky tofu’.

(2) Someone says it is or it is not, only once.