等陣
dang2 zan6
In Cantonese, 'hold on' is expressed as 等陣 (dang2 zan6).
The phrase is used to mean 'wait a minute'. To specifically say 'wait for me', you would use 等埋我.
Meaning: wait a minute (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
等陣 is composed of 等, meaning 'wait' and 陣, meaning 'a moment' or 'a spell'.
Which one should you use?
You may also encounter 等一等, which is a common colloquial alternative meaning 'wait a little bit'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations, such as requesting someone to wait briefly in a professional setting, use 請稍等. For more informal or casual settings, you can use 等等啦 to mean 'hold on' or 'just a moment' or 等下先 to mean 'wait a moment' or 'wait a little'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make a command sound softer and more natural in casual conversation, you can add the sentence-final particle 呀 at the end of the phrase to create 等陣呀, which means 'hold on a bit'.
How do you pronounce it?
dang2 zan6
Did you know?
- While 等陣 means 'wait a moment', the character 陣 originally referred to a military formation or a battle array. Over time, it shifted from describing a 'stretch' of space to a 'stretch' of time.
- Depending on the tone and the final particle used, 等等啦 can transition from a polite request to a dismissive way of telling someone to stop bothering you.
- The formal version 請稍等 is so standard in Hong Kong that it is often used as a polite 'buffer' by staff in shops to signal that they are multitasking, even if the wait is only two seconds.
Examples in context
- 等陣。Hold on a second.This sentence is useful for saying 'Hold on a second.' using 等陣.Tatoeba #1532309 by cc_neko, translation #1120399 by CK
- 等陣先。dang2 zan6 sin1.Wait a minute first.
- 等陣再講。dang2 zan6 zoi3 gong2.Talk about it in a bit.
Example conversation
Two friends are leaving a house.
- 美玲 Mei Ling志強，快啲行啦！Zi3 keong4, faai3 di1 hang4 laa1!Chi Keung, let's go quickly!
- 志強 Chi Keung等陣，我唔見咗把遮。dang2 zan6, ngo5 m4 gin3 zo2 baa2 ze1.Hold on, I've lost my umbrella.
- 美玲 Mei Ling喺客廳個枱上面呀。hai2 haak1 ting1 go3 toi2 soeng6 aa3.It's on the table in the living room.
- 志強 Chi Keung唔該美玲，我搵到喇。m4 goi1 Mei5 ling4, ngo5 wan2 dou2 laa3.Thanks Mei Ling, I found it.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
