Meaning
总算 expresses relief that something has finally happened after a long wait, effort, or difficulty. It carries a sense of 'after all that time/trouble, it's done.' The word combines 总 (total, overall) and 算 (to count, to consider), literally meaning 'when you count it all up' or 'taking everything into account.'
Usage
Native speakers use 总算 when expressing relief or satisfaction that something difficult or long-awaited has finally occurred. It's more emotional than the neutral 终于 (finally), emphasizing the speaker's feeling that the wait or effort was worth it. Common in spoken and written Chinese when describing the resolution of challenging situations.
Examples
- 01经过三个小时的努力，我们总算把问题解决了。, .After three hours of effort, we finally solved the problem.
- 02等了这么久，你总算来了！, !I've been waiting so long—you're finally here!
Characters
Common collocations
- 总算...了...finally... (completed action)
- 总算是can finally be considered as
- 总算没有fortunately did not
Origin
The combination of 总 (overall) and 算 (to count/consider) creates the meaning 'when all is counted' or 'in the final analysis,' which evolved to express the relief of finally reaching a conclusion or result.