About

The word "不到" is formed by directly combining the negative adverb "不" (meaning "not") with the verb "到" (meaning "to arrive" or "to reach"), resulting in a literal meaning of "not to arrive" or "not to reach". This compound functions as a verb phrase where the negation modifies the action, typically used to express failure to achieve, attain, or complete something, such as in "看不到" (cannot see) or "做不到" (cannot do). The formation relies solely on the grammatical juxtaposition of the two characters without any phonetic or symbolic alterations.

Example Sentences Hide

不到十岁。

Tā bù dào shí suì.

He is less than ten years old.

我找不到我的书。

Wǒ zhǎo bù dào wǒ de shū.

I can't find my book.

他没想到会下雨。

Tā méi xiǎng dào huì xià yǔ.

He didn't expect it would rain.

我们不到一个小时就完成了工作。

Wǒmen bù dào yī gè xiǎoshí jiù wánchéng le gōngzuò.

We finished the work in less than an hour.

如果你不到场,会议就无法开始。

Rúguǒ nǐ bù dàochǎng, huìyì jiù wúfǎ kāishǐ.

If you don't attend, the meeting can't start.

Word Definition - 不到

bù dào not to arrive; not reaching; insufficient; less than

Individual Character Details