<p>I like that, "so hungry their eyes were green", haven't heard that before!</p>

<p>两只饿到眼绿的老鼠正在房梁上打架<br>
2 hungry that eyes green 的 mice just in the room roof-beams fight<br>
Two mice, both so hungry that their eyes were green, were fighting on a roof-beam.</p>

<p>Maybe it should be "饿的眼放绿光". Anyway, 饿到眼绿 means very very hungry. </p>

<p>饿到眼绿<br>
hungry until eyes green  到 = until
so hungry (their) eyes went green  </p>

<p>"饿的眼放绿光"<br>
hungry that eyes send out green light</p>

<p>A quick search gave me <a href="https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/507048823.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this answer</a>. Not sure if it is accurate. I can't find a source for "饿的眼放绿光" . I'm sure someone here knows.</p>

<p>晚上狼的眼睛看起来是绿色的，说饿的眼放绿光，其实就是说饿得向狼一样，见到食物就像饿狼看见人一样。 </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-23T23:48:14.093Z
2019-09-23T23:48:14.093Z
Pedroski
<p>Other examples I can think of: </p>

<p><code>红到发紫</code> --this is often used to describe someone is very popular</p>

<p><code>富到流油</code> -- this is used to describe someone is very rich</p>

<p>In all these cases, 到 can be replaced with 得. </p>

<p>To remember some use cases is a good way to remember how to use the word. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-26T20:51:17.013Z
2019-09-26T20:51:17.013Z
sylvia
<p>You are essentially correct. Here, 到 is a preposition that, depending on context, can represent "to," "(up) until," or "up to." </p>

<p>e.g. 到目前为止 : up until this moment</p>

<p>工作到天亮了 : work until the sky becomes light</p>

<p>从周一到周四 : From Monday to Thursday</p>

<p>In your particular example, there seems to be an implied “的程度" at the end of the descriptor which is omitted, i.e. one can write 两只饿到眼绿<strong>的程度</strong>的老鼠正在房染上打架, and in order to prevent a sentence from being clunky, this has been omitted since it's clear from context what is being said here. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-09-24T02:47:13.990Z
2019-09-24T02:47:13.990Z
Marko
<p>I was having trouble with the sentence</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>两只饿到眼绿的老鼠正在房梁上打架</p>
</blockquote>

<p>because I could not understand the usage of 到 here. After I spent some time thinking I figure the meaning is that the rats were hungry <strong><em>to</em></strong> the extent that their eyes turned green (a metaphor of some sort?) but if that is indeed the case, what would you call this type of word? In English I believe the word "to" used in this way is called a preposition but I haven't seen anything online about the usage of prepositions in Chinese.</p>

<grammar><usage><meaning-in-context>
What part of speech is 到 (to) when used in 两只饿到眼绿的老鼠正在房梁上打架?
# What part of speech is 到 (to) when used in 两只饿到眼绿的老鼠正在房梁上打架?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-09-23)

I was having trouble with the sentence

> 两只饿到眼绿的老鼠正在房梁上打架

because I could not understand the usage of 到 here. After I spent some time thinking I figure the meaning is that the rats were hungry ***to*** the extent that their eyes turned green (a metaphor of some sort?) but if that is indeed the case, what would you call this type of word? In English I believe the word "to" used in this way is called a preposition but I haven't seen anything online about the usage of prepositions in Chinese.

**Tags:** grammar, usage, meaning-in-context


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-09-24. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

You are essentially correct. Here, 到 is a preposition that, depending on context, can represent "to," "(up) until," or "up to."

e.g. 到目前为止 : up until this moment

工作到天亮了 : work until the sky becomes light

从周一到周四 : From Monday to Thursday

In your particular example, there seems to be an implied “的程度" at the end of the descriptor which is omitted, i.e. one can write 两只饿到眼绿**的程度**的老鼠正在房染上打架, and in order to prevent a sentence from being clunky, this has been omitted since it's clear from context what is being said here.


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### Answer by username_1 on 2019-09-23. Score: 2

I like that, "so hungry their eyes were green", haven't heard that before!

两只饿到眼绿的老鼠正在房梁上打架  
2 hungry that eyes green 的 mice just in the room roof-beams fight  
Two mice, both so hungry that their eyes were green, were fighting on a roof-beam.

Maybe it should be "饿的眼放绿光". Anyway, 饿到眼绿 means very very hungry.

饿到眼绿  
hungry until eyes green 到 = until
so hungry (their) eyes went green

"饿的眼放绿光"  
hungry that eyes send out green light

A quick search gave me [this answer](https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/507048823.html). Not sure if it is accurate. I can't find a source for "饿的眼放绿光" . I'm sure someone here knows.

晚上狼的眼睛看起来是绿色的，说饿的眼放绿光，其实就是说饿得向狼一样，见到食物就像饿狼看见人一样。


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### Answer by username_2 on 2019-09-26. Score: 1

Other examples I can think of:

`红到发紫` --this is often used to describe someone is very popular

`富到流油` -- this is used to describe someone is very rich

In all these cases, 到 can be replaced with 得.

To remember some use cases is a good way to remember how to use the word.


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