Chinese Grammar: Expressing "finally", “on earth” and "in the end" with 到底 & 究竟

There are always people who like to give ambiguous answers. Each time, it never fails: the only thing you want to say is "what on earth do you mean?"

Let's see how to express “on earth” in Chinese with 到底 and 究竟. So that next time you're facing these guys, you'll know how to get things clear.

"On earth" with 到底

到底 is very straightforward to the point you can translate 到底 into “on earth”, "finally" or "in the end" in English.

Structure

到底 + question phrase

Examples

你 到底 什么 意思 ？
What on earth do you mean?

你 到底 喜欢 吃 什么 ？
What on earth do you like to eat?

你 到底 想 看 什么 电影 ？ In the end, what film do you want to watch?

“After all” with 到底

When you want to emphasize something, you can also use 到底 to say “after all”. 到底 insists on a reason or some particular aspect of someone/something.

Structure

到底 + Reason/Aspect + Phrases

Examples

他 到底 是 个 孩子 ， 别 生气 了。
Don’t be mad at him, after all, he is still a kid.

他 到底 是 个 老师 ， 知道 的 比 我们 多。
He knows more than us, after all, he is a teacher.

他 到底 是 个 新 来 的 ， 什么 都 不 太 清楚。
He is not clear at all, after all, he's newly arrived here.

究竟 to say in the end

Another word to express “on earth” is 究竟. Use it when you want to get to the bottom of something. You could translate in English as "in the end".

It is used in the same way as 到底, usually in a question form.

Structure

究竟 + question

Examples

你 究竟 发生 什么事 情 了 ？
What on earth happened to you?

我 究竟 该 怎么办 ？
What should I do in the end?

他 究竟 在 想 什么 ？
What exactly is he thinking?

There is a famous idiom in Chinese called:

打破砂锅问 到底 Incessant questioning until the pot cracks.

It means “to insist on getting to the problem matter's bottom”. Here, 打破 means “to break”, and 砂锅 is for a “marmite/casserole”, so it means to ask questions until the casserole breaks. Chinese can be very vivid, don't you think?