到位
dào wèi · HSK 7
to get to the intended location
📍 到 (arrive) + 位 (position) = arrived at the right spot, locked in place
Think of a puzzle piece clicking into its exact slot. When something is 到位, it has reached precisely where it belongs — everything is in position, nothing left to adjust.
到 — 刂 knife + 至 (phonetic, 'arrive')
到 is a semantic-phonetic compound. 至 ('to arrive') gives both meaning and sound, while 刂 (knife) was added later, likely as a phonetic reinforcer or to distinguish the written form. The core sense 'to arrive, reach' comes directly from 至, and 到 has carried that meaning since early script forms.
位 — person radical 亻 + stand 立
位 combines the person radical 亻 with 立 (to stand), originally depicting a person standing in their proper place at court. It came to mean 'position, rank, or place,' and is now also used as a polite measure word for people.