adjective / adverb HSK 5
Traditional 徹底
thorough · complete · thoroughgoing · utterly
Meaning
彻底 means thorough, complete, or exhaustive. It emphasizes that something is done completely without leaving anything out, or that a change or understanding goes all the way to the core. It can describe actions, changes, understanding, or defeat.
Usage
Commonly used as an adverb before verbs to mean 'thoroughly' or 'completely,' or as an adjective to describe something as 'thorough.' Often appears in contexts discussing reforms, cleaning, understanding, failure, or victory. The tone is formal to neutral, suitable for both written and spoken Mandarin.
Examples
- 01我们需要彻底解决这个问题。.We need to thoroughly solve this problem.
- 02这次改革让公司彻底改变了。.This reform completely changed the company.
Characters
Common collocations
- 彻底失败complete failure
- 彻底改变completely change
- 彻底了解thoroughly understand
- 彻底清理thoroughly clean up
Antonyms
Origin
The word combines 彻 (to penetrate through) and 底 (bottom/foundation), literally meaning 'penetrating to the bottom,' conveying the sense of completeness or thoroughness.