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歸根到底

简归根到底 · 繁歸根到底

Mandarin · pinyin guī gēn dào dǐ

after all
in the final analysis
ultimately

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Characters in this entry

歸: Look up this written character
根: gēn · root, base(d on); foundation
到: dào · go to, arrive, been to
底: dǐ · bottom, underneath, underside
归: guī · return; return to, revert to

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1–1–4–3 · gui1 gen1 dao4 di3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

歸根到底 · find source passages ↗ · 归根到底 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) in the final analysis; it all comes down to

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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