Meaning of 待
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to stay; to remain
- to wait
- to treat
- to deal with
- to need
- going to (do sth)
- about to
- intending to
How to use 待
Read as dāi, it is a common spoken verb meaning to stay somewhere for a while, often with a place or time after it. 我在北京待了三天。(Wǒ zài Běijīng dāi le sān tiān.) I stayed in Beijing for three days. Read as dài, it usually appears in compounds like 等待 (děngdài) and 对待 (duìdài).
待 has the step radical 彳 (chì) on the left and 寺 (sì) on the right. Picture yourself taking a few steps to a temple 寺 and then staying there to wait, which links both readings: dāi (to stay) and dài (to wait).
Common mistake: Learners often use the dài reading for "stay". Say 待一会儿 (dāi yíhuìr) for "stay a while", but 对待 (duìdài) and 期待 (qīdài) for treat and look forward to. Also do not confuse 待 with 特 (tè, special), which shares 寺 but has the cow radical 牛 on the left.
待 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
待 dāi · to stay · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 待.
| 等待 | děngdài | to wait; to wait for |
| 对待 | duìdài | to treat; treatment |
| 接待 | jiēdài | to receive; to entertain; to host (guests, visitors or clients) |
| 期待 | qīdài | to look forward to; to await |
| 待遇 | dàiyù | treatment; pay |
| 看待 | kàndài | to look upon; to regard |
| 待会儿 | dāihuìr | in a moment; later |
| 招待 | zhāodài | to hold a reception; to offer hospitality; to entertain (guests); to serve (customers) |
| 虐待 | nüèdài | to mistreat; to maltreat |
| 迫不及待 | pòbùjídài | (idiom) unable to hold oneself back; eager to do sth without delay |
| 招待会 | zhāodàihuì | a reception |
| 有待 | yǒudài | not yet (done); pending |
Questions about 待
What does 待 mean?
待 (dāi) means "to stay; to remain" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 待?
待 is made of 1 character: 待 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 待 an HSK word?
Yes. 待 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 待 (dāi) and 呆 (dāi)?
Both can mean to stay, and in casual speech 呆在家 and 待在家 are both seen. 待 is the more standard choice for staying, while 呆 mainly means dull or blank, as in 发呆 (fādāi, to space out).
How do I say "treat someone well" with 待?
Use 待 (dài) or 对待 with 好. For example, 他待我很好。(Tā dài wǒ hěn hǎo.) He treats me very well.