等候 meaning in English

děnghòu

to wait; to wait for

HSK 5verb22 strokes

Meaning of 等候

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

děnghòu

to wait
to wait for

How to use 等候

等候 is more formal than plain 等 (děng) and often appears in notices, announcements and polite speech. It usually takes an object, such as a person or a result. Example: 请在这里等候。(Qǐng zài zhèlǐ děnghòu.) Please wait here.

等 (děng) means to wait, and 候 (hòu) is the same 候 you see in 时候 (shíhou), time. Put them together and you get waiting for the right time to come.

Common mistake: Learners often read 候 with a neutral tone because of 时候 (shíhou), but in 等候 it keeps its full fourth tone: děnghòu. Also do not confuse 候 with 侯 (hóu, marquis), which lacks the short vertical stroke in the middle.

等候 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

汤tāng姆mǔ还hái在zài等děng候hòu室shì里lǐ坐zuò着zhe。

Tom is still sitting in the waiting room.

汤tāng姆mǔ在zài医yī院yuàn的de等děng候hòu室shì。

Tom is in the hospital waiting room.

电diàn话huà运yùn营yíng商shāng提tí示shì来lái电diàn人rén等děng候hòu接jiē通tōng。

The telephone operator asked the caller to hold on until a connection was made.

请qǐng在zài一yī米mǐ线xiàn外wài等děng候hòu。

Please wait one meter away.

他tā在zài汽qì车chē站zhàn等děng候hòu。

He is waiting at the Greyhound station.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

等 děng · to wait for · 12 strokes

候 hòu · to wait · 10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 等候.

时候	shíhou	time; length of time
有时候	yǒushíhou	sometimes
等到	děngdào	to wait until; by the time when (sth is ready etc)
小时候	xiǎoshíhou	in one's childhood
等于	děngyú	to equal; to be tantamount to
这时候	zhè shíhou
平等	píngděng	equal; equality
那时候	nà shíhou	at that time
等待	děngdài	to wait; to wait for
气候	qìhòu	(meteorology) climate; (fig.) climate; prevailing conditions (in human affairs)
问候	wènhòu	to give one's respects; to send a greeting
等级	děngjí	grade; rank

Questions about 等候

What does 等候 mean?

等候 (děnghòu) means "to wait; to wait for" and is used as a verb.

How do you write 等候?

等候 is made of 2 characters: 等 (12 strokes), 候 (10 strokes). That is 22 strokes in total.

Is 等候 an HSK word?

Yes. 等候 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 等候 and 等待?

Both mean to wait. 等待 (děngdài) often sounds more abstract and can describe waiting for a chance or a long-term outcome. 等候 is more often about waiting for a specific person, turn or notice in a concrete place.

Can I use 等候 in casual conversation with friends?

It sounds a bit formal for casual chat. With friends, just say 等 (děng), as in 等我一下 (děng wǒ yíxià), wait for me a moment.