Meaning
终于 expresses that something has happened after a long wait, effort, or anticipation. It conveys a sense of relief or completion when an expected or desired outcome is finally achieved. The word emphasizes the process or waiting period that preceded the result.
Usage
终于 typically appears before the verb in a sentence and is used when the speaker wants to emphasize that something took a long time or required significant effort to accomplish. It carries a positive or neutral tone of resolution. Common in both spoken and written Chinese, though slightly more formal than casual speech alternatives like 总算.
Examples
- 01我学了三年中文，终于能和中国朋友聊天了。, .I studied Chinese for three years and can finally chat with my Chinese friends.
- 02等了两个小时，他终于来了。, .After waiting two hours, he finally arrived.
Characters
Common collocations
- 终于完成了finally finished
- 终于明白了finally understood
- 终于等到了finally waited until/for
- 终于成功了finally succeeded
Antonyms
Origin
终 means 'end' or 'final,' and 于 is a classical Chinese particle indicating position or state. Together, they literally mean 'at the end,' which evolved to express the meaning of 'finally' or 'at last.'