Tomyo
ruen

根本 (gēnběn) vs 到底 (dàodǐ): “at all” vs “after all” in Chinese

根本 (gēnběn): at all (negatives), fundamental / 到底 (dàodǐ): after all, finally

根本 (gēn běn) vs 到底 (dào dǐ) — at all vs after all

HSK 6Adverbs

Rule structure

根本 (gēnběn) means "fundamental" or with negatives "at all". 到底 (dàodǐ) in questions means "on earth, after all"; in statements means "finally".

Examples

我根本不知道。 / 你到底想怎样？

Wǒ gēnběn bù zhīdào. / Nǐ dàodǐ xiǎng zěnyàng?

I didn’t know at all. / What do you really want?

Practice

Build the sentence

Drag the characters to put them in the correct order

Characters

Words from this rule

根本

gēn běn

Fundamental; root; at all (with negation)

到底

dàodǐ

Finally, thoroughly

我

wǒ

I, me

不

bù

No, not

知道

zhīdào

To know

你

nǐ

You

想

xiǎng

To want, to think, to miss

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “at all vs after all” in Chinese with 根本 vs 到底?

Use the structure: 根本 (gēnběn): at all (negatives), fundamental / 到底 (dàodǐ): after all, finally. For example: 我根本不知道。 / 你到底想怎样？ — “I didn’t know at all. / What do you really want?”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

我根本不知道。 / 你到底想怎样？ — “I didn’t know at all. / What do you really want?”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 6.

Tomyo

Learn Chinese grammar with smart reviews

Grammar explanations, exercises and spaced repetition — all in one app.

Download the app

More HSK 6 grammar rules

无非 — nothing but

无非 (wúfēi) + Noun / Clause (dismissive)

凡是 — all, every

凡是 (fánshì) + Noun Phrase, 都 (dōu) + Verb

恢复 vs 还原 — restore vs return to original

恢复 (huīfù): restore (state, function) / 还原 (huányuán): restore to original state

居然 vs 反而 — unexpected vs on the contrary

居然 (jūrán): unexpectedly (surprise) / 反而 (fǎn'ér): on the contrary

再…也 — no matter how

再 (zài) + Adj., 也 (yě) + Result

何必 — why bother

何必 (hébì) + Verb Phrase (rhetorical, unnecessary)

不断 vs 不停 — continuous vs nonstop

不断 (bùduàn) + Verb (continuous, unceasing) / 不停 (bùtíng) + Verb (incessant, nonstop)

按照 vs 根据 — according to vs based on

按照 (ànzhào) + Rule / Standard (follow) / 根据 (gēnjù) + Basis / Source (based on)