终于zhōngyú

Adverb 终于 (zhōngyú): Finally / At last

Meaning: Finally, at last (after long waiting/effort)

Pattern

终于 ("finally / at last") indicates that after a long period of waiting, effort, or difficulty, an anticipated outcome has been realized.
It stands after the subject and before the verb or adjective, and the clause almost always ends with 了 to mark the change of state.
Distinguish 终于 from 最后: 终于 carries an emotional sense of relief or fulfillment after a long process and can only stand before a predicate, whereas 最后 ("lastly / in the end") is a time noun indicating chronological sequence or the final item in a list.

1
经过两年的努力，他终于考上了大学。
Jīngguò liǎng nián de nǔlì, tā zhōngyú kǎo shàng le dàxué.
After two years of hard work, he finally passed the university entrance exam.
2
等了一个小时，他终于来了。
Děng le yī gè xiǎoshí, tā zhōngyú lái le.
After waiting for an hour, he finally arrived.
3
我终于明白了你的意思。
Wǒ zhōngyú míngbái le nǐ de yìsi.
I finally understood what you meant.

•Distinguish 终于 (realized after a long process/effort, paired with 了) from 最后 (chronological "lastly").

⚠️ Common Mistakes:

•Using 终于 for a simple sequence of events that involves no waiting or effort (where 最后 should be used).

•Omitting 了 at the end of the sentence when describing a completed achievement with 终于.

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