到底 (on earth / after all)
"What on earth…?"
- finally到底 presses for the real answer: "after all / in the end / on earth".
- you你finally到底to want to想要what什么？ = "what on earth do you want?"
- It demands the bottom-line truth.
finally到底 + Question
- finally到底 intensifies a question, asking for the final answer.
you你on earth到底want想go去not不go去？
- you你finally到底去不去？ = "are you going or not, in the end?"
Practice
Are you going or not, in the end? 你 ____ 去不去?
到底 + Question presses for the real answer: 你到底去不去?
Practice
到底 in a question makes it more pressing (“on earth”).
Yes: 你到底想要什么? = what on earth do you want?
Also "in the end (it turned out)"
- finally到底 + statement = "after all": he / him他finally到底to come来(completed / change)了 = "he came after all."
Explore
Correct or broken?
到底 presses the question — with a question word or V-不-V, never plain 吗.
Practice
In 他到底来了, 到底 means…
In a statement, 到底 = after all: 他到底来了 (he came after all).
Recap
Key idea
- finally到底 + Question — "what / who / how … on earth?": you你finally到底to want to想要what什么?
- In a statement = "after all / in the end": he / him他finally到底to come来(completed / change)了
- Demands the bottom-line answer
Read the full reference: HSK 4 grammar — Adverbs.