毕竟 bìjìng after all
after all; all in all; when all is said and done; in the final analysis
How to remember 毕竟: 毕 finish + 竟 finally = after all.
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How it is used
- After all / when all's said and done - flags an overriding fact: 毕竟他还是个孩子 (bìjìng tā háishì ge háizi) after all, he's still a child.
- Used to concede or justify: it appeals to an undeniable reality to explain or excuse something.
- An adverb, typically sentence-initial or before the verb; roughly interchangeable with 到底 in this 'in the end' sense but 毕竟 stresses an accepted truth.
- Softer than 究竟 (jiūjìng), which pushes for the actual facts/answer.