直到 zhí dào
“until”
verb2021 list level 3
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
直到 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 974: 直到 zhídào — Level 3; official annotation 3 (动). PDF page 104
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 直到
直到 marks the endpoint up to which an action or state continues, meaning “until.” It commonly introduces a time, noun, or clause, and often pairs with 才 in the following clause to stress that the main action happened only at that point. The fixed phrase 直到现在 means “until now.”
例句Example sentences
- 他直到昨天才知道这件事。tā zhí dào zuó tiān cái zhī dao zhè jiàn shì.He didn't know about this until yesterday.
- 直到现在，我还记得第一次来中国的样子。zhí dào xiàn zài, wǒ hái jì de dì yī cì lái zhōng guó de yàng zi.To this day, I still remember what it was like when I first came to China.
- 我们在门口等了很久，直到他回来才离开。wǒ men zài mén kǒu děng le hěn jiǔ, zhí dào tā huí lái cái lí kāi.We waited at the door for a long time and didn't leave until he came back.
易混词Easily confused
直到vs一直
一直 means “continuously” or “all along” and describes duration without naming an endpoint; 直到 names the specific endpoint at which something stops or first happens.