How to Write 迨 (dài) — Meaning “Until; while”

Imagine you are waiting at a platform (台) until (迨) a train arrives. The sound "dài" also resembles "delay" — you wait until something happens, linking the visual of a platform to the meaning.

Write the walking radical 辶 first with three strokes: a dot, a horizontal curve, and a vertical hook. Then add the right part 台, which has five strokes: first a left-falling stroke and a short horizontal fold (forming ム), then the square 口 below. A common mistake is making the right part too tall or confusing it with 大 or 川.

Visually, 迨 has the right component 台, while 巡 has 川 (three vertical lines) and 达 has 大 (a big shape). In meaning, 迨 means "until" or "while" (formal), 巡 means "to patrol," and 达 means "to reach" or "achieve" (common in modern Chinese). The pronunciation also differs: dài, xún, and dá.

迨 is rare in everyday speech and appears mainly in classical or literary Chinese, such as in the phrase 迨至 (dài zhì, "until") or in old texts like the Book of Songs. It is not part of the HSK vocabulary, so learners mainly encounter it when reading historical or formal writing.

Common words containing 迨 include: 迨至 (dài zhì) — Until; 迨及 (dài jí) — Until; up to; 迨 (dài) — Until; while.