终归 / 归根结底【zhōngguī / guīgēnjiédǐ】

终归 and 归根结底 both get past the details to what really matters, but they sit in different places. 终归 is an adverb before the predicate. 归根结底 is a four-character phrase that opens the sentence or follows its topic, usually set off by a comma.

终归: "after all" and "in the end"

With 是, 终归 reminds the listener of a basic fact that should change how they judge. With 会 or 要, it says something will happen in the end, however long it takes.

毕竟 and 终究 are close in meaning; 终归 is a little more literary than 毕竟.

归根结底: the root cause

归根结底 – "return to the root, reach the bottom" – introduces what lies under everything said so far. The clause after it often has 是 or 在于 "lies in".

归根到底 is a variant with the same meaning.

Cause, not time

归根结底 is about cause and essence, so it can't mean "eventually". For "it will happen in the end", use 终归.

• × 这个问题归根结底会解决的 → 这个问题终归会解决的