毕竟: after all
副词 / adverbs
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
(虽然/尽管…)，S + 毕竟 + 是/V…
毕竟 recalls a key fact that outweighs the rest: "after all", "when all is said and done". It's often used to excuse or put in perspective: 他毕竟还是个孩子 (he's only a child, after all).
It goes after the subject, often before 是. Frequently preceded by a concession (虽然…) that it counterbalances.
Examples
别怪他了，他毕竟还是个孩子。
Bié guài tā le, tā bìjìng hái shì ge háizi.Don't blame him: he's only a child, after all.
在线课程虽然方便，但毕竟不能完全代替老师。
Zàixiàn kèchéng suīrán fāngbiàn, dàn bìjìng bù néng wánquán dàitì lǎoshī.Online courses are convenient, but after all they can't fully replace a teacher.
考试成绩毕竟只是一个方面。
Kǎoshì chéngjì bìjìng zhǐ shì yí ge fāngmiàn.Exam scores are just one aspect, after all.
Common mistakes
✗ 毕竟 as "finally" (end of a process) → use ✓ 终于 / 最后. 毕竟 = decisive argument.
✗ 毕竟他是孩子 occurs in speech, but standard is ✓ 他毕竟是孩子。