Level 4 · Upper Intermediate
After all: 毕竟
毕竟 + Fact / Subj. + 毕竟 + Fact · Traditional: 畢竟 + Fact / Subj. + 畢竟 + Fact
毕竟 (bìjìng) reminds the listener of a basic fact that explains or excuses things: 别怪他，毕竟他还小 "don't blame him — after all, he's still young". The fact isn't news; you're pulling it back into view because it settles the matter.
It's an adverb, comfortable after the subject (他毕竟是你爸爸) or at the front of the clause (毕竟大家都累了). Don't mix it up with 到底 in questions — 毕竟 never presses anyone for an answer; it calms an argument down.
Examples
别怪他，毕竟他还小。
別怪他，畢竟他還小。
bié guài tā bì jìng tā hái xiǎo
Don't blame him — after all, he's still little.
多穿一点吧，毕竟已经是冬天了。
多穿一點吧，畢竟已經是冬天了。
duō chuān yī diǎn ba bì jìng yǐ jīng shì dōng tiān le
Put on more clothes — it is winter, after all.
他毕竟是你爸爸，你应该听他的话。
他畢竟是你爸爸，你應該聽他的話。
tā bì jìng shì nǐ bà ba nǐ yīng gāi tīng tā de huà
He is your dad, after all — you should listen to him.
毕竟大家都累了，我们早点回家吧。
畢竟大家都累了，我們早點回家吧。
bì jìng dà jiā dōu lèi le wǒ men zǎo diǎn huí jiā ba
Everyone's tired, after all — let's head home early.
Common mistakes
✗ 你毕竟去不去？
✓ 你到底去不去？
Pressing a question is 到底's job — 毕竟 states a calming, known fact.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like Little Habits (Part 1) inside the Literate Chinese app.
