等到
děngdào · HSK 2
until
⏳ 等 (wait) + 到 (arrive) = wait until something arrives
等 means to wait; 到 means to arrive or reach. Together 等到 literally reads wait-until-arrive, used when waiting for a moment or event to come. Often paired with 再 or 就 in sentences like 等到明天再说.
等 — bamboo radical 竹 + temple 寺
Originally referred to bamboo slips of equal length used for record-keeping, with 竹 (bamboo) as the semantic component and 寺 suggesting the phonetic. From 'equal-length slips' the meaning extended to 'rank, class,' then 'equal,' and later to 'wait' (to be of equal status in line).
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.