迟到 (chí dào) is a verb meaning 'to arrive late'—typically referring to being behind schedule for an appointment, class, meeting, or other scheduled event. The first character 迟 (chí) means 'late' or 'delayed', and the second character 到 (dào) means 'to arrive' or 'to reach'. Together, they form a compound verb that emphasizes the action of arriving after the expected or agreed-upon time. It’s commonly used in formal and informal contexts alike, especially in school, work, and daily life.

This word functions as a verb in sentences and often appears with time expressions (e.g., 十分钟, 会议开始后) or with aspect particles like 了 or 没有. Unlike some verbs, 迟到 does not take an object—it’s intransitive—so you say 我迟到了 (I arrived late), not *我迟到了学校. Instead, location is expressed separately using prepositions like 在 or 于, or through context.