Usage note
“迟到”用来形容上学或上班时比预定时间晚到达。
chídào lái yòng xíngróng shàngxué huò shàngbān shí bǐ dìngyù shíjiān wǎn dádào。
"迟到" is used to describe being late for school or work when you arrive after the scheduled time.
Context note
“迟到”常用于描述上学或工作中的时间管理问题，比如早上起床晚了导致上学迟到。
chídào cháng yòng yú miáo shù shàngxué huò gōngzuò zhōng de shíjiān guǎlǐ wèntí, bǐrú zǎoshang qǐshēng wǎn le dǎozhì shàngxué chídào。
"迟到" is commonly used to describe time management issues in school or work, such as waking up late leading to being late for school.
5 examples
他今天上学迟到了。
tā jīn tiān shàng xué chí dào le。
He was late for school today.
妈妈说我起床太晚了，所以上班迟到。
mā ma shuō wǒ qǐ chuáng tài wǎn le， suǒ yǐ shàng bān chí dào。
Mom said I woke up too late, so I was late for work.
昨天我迟到了，老师罚我没做今天的作业。
zuó tiān wǒ chí dào le， lǎo shī fá wǒ méi zuò jīn tiān de zuò yè。
I was late yesterday, so the teacher punished me by not letting me do today's homework.
我们约定下午两点见面，但他迟到了一个小时。
wǒ men yuē dìng xià wǔ liǎng diǎn jiàn miàn， dàn tā chí dào le yí gè xiǎo shí。
We agreed to meet at 2 PM this afternoon, but he was an hour late.
每天早上都要按时起床，不要迟到。
měi tiān zǎo shàng dōu yào àn shí qǐ chuáng， bú yào chí dào。
You should always wake up on time every morning and not be late.
5 mini stories
小明今天早上睡过头了，结果上学迟到了。
xiǎo míng jīn tiān zǎo shàng shuì guò tóu le， jié guǒ shàng xué chí dào le。
Xiaoming overslept this morning and ended up being late for school.
妈妈提醒小华早点起床，这样就不会迟到。
mā ma tí xǐng xiǎo huá zǎo diǎn qǐ chuáng， zhè yàng jiù bú huì chí dào。
Mom reminded Xiaohua to get up early so as not to be late.
昨天小红因为迟到被老师批评了，她以后会注意时间的。
zuó tiān xiǎo hóng yīn wèi chí dào bèi lǎo shī pī píng le， tā yǐ hòu huì zhù yì shí jiān de。
Yesterday Xiaohong was criticized by the teacher for being late, so she will pay more attention to time from now on.
小刚每天都会按时到校，从不迟到。
xiǎo gāng měi tiān dōu huì àn shí dào xiào， cóng bù chí dào。
Xiaogang always arrives on time every day and never is late.
小丽今天迟到了，但她向老师道歉了并保证以后不会迟到。
xiǎo lì jīn tiān chí dào le， dàn tā xiàng lǎo shī dào qiàn le bìng bǎo zhèng yǐ hòu bú huì chí dào。
Xiaoli was late today, but she apologized to the teacher and promised not to be late again.
Mini dialogue
早上
A
快点儿，我们要迟到了！
Kuài diǎnr, wǒmen yào chídào le!
Hurry up, we are going to be late!
B
对不起，我马上好。
Duìbuqǐ, wǒ mǎshàng hǎo.
Sorry, I'll be ready soon.
上课
A
他为什么迟到了？
Tā wèishénme chídào le?
Why was he late?
B
因为公交车迟到了。
Yīnwèi gōngjiāochē chídào le.
Because the bus was late.
Related words and contrasts
opposite
准时
zhǔn shí
on time
Arriving at the right time, not late.
contrast
早到
zǎo dào
arrive early
Getting somewhere before you need to be there.