至 (zhì): to; until; up to

Meanings

1 to; until; up to
2 to arrive; to reach
3 most; extremely

Characters

至

zhi

to; until; extremely

Examples

从周一至周五上班。

Cóng zhōuyī zhì zhōuwǔ shàngbān.

Work from Monday to Friday.

至少要学一年。

Zhìshǎo yào xué yī nián.

You need to study for at least a year.

甚至他都不知道。

Shènzhì tā dōu bùzhī dào.

Even he doesn't know.

Tips

usage

至 is used in many compounds: 至少 (at least), 甚至 (even), 至今 (until now), 至于 (as for), 以至于 (so much that). More literary than 到.

Components

pictograph

至 zhì

arrive; to; up to

Self-component. A picture of an arrow (top strokes — head down, fletching up) striking the ground (bottom 土 earth) — the moment of arrival. From 'arrow has landed' came 'reach, arrive, up to, extremely.' 至 is itself Kangxi radical 133 and indexes 到 arrive, 致 send, 室 room.

Radical

Arrive Kangxi #133

The 'arrive' radical. The Shuowen reads 至 as a bird descending to ground — a top stroke for the bird, the lower 土 for the earth. As an indexing radical it heads a small group around arrival and reach: 致 (deliver), 臺 (platform), 臻 (reach). Low productivity but high frequency as a free word.