What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 请 (please), 稍 (slightly/briefly) and 等 (wait).
Which one should you use?
请稍等 is more formal and polite than the common spoken 等一下.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
请稍等 is a polite and common way to ask someone to wait. In professional or formal environments, you might also use 请等一下 or the slightly more formal 请稍后. For informal situations, you can use the straightforward 等一下 or 等我一下 if you want to personalize the request to wait specifically for you. The expression 稍等一会儿 is also an informal option that is slightly more polite than others and conveys a sense of asking for a brief moment of patience.
Is it said differently in some regions?
稍等一下 is the standard way to say "please wait" in Mandarin Chinese.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding 一下 (yīxià) after 请稍等 makes the request sound more natural and slightly more casual in spoken Chinese.
How do you pronounce it?
qǐng shāoděng
Did you know?
- The character 等 (wait) also means 'grade' or 'class' when referring to quality, such as 一等 (yī děng) meaning 'first class'.
- The concept of 'waiting' in Chinese culture is often tied to the idea of 'patience' (耐心 nàixīn). A very polite way to extend a long wait is to ask for the listener's 'patience' rather than just their 'time'.
- While 请稍等 is polite, in a fast-paced Chinese street market, a vendor might simply say 等会儿 (děng huìr) with a nasal 'r' sound, which is a hallmark of the Beijing dialect.
Examples in context
- 请稍等一下。Please wait a bit.This sentence is useful.Tatoeba #423171 by GlossaMatik, translation #423164 by CM
- 请稍等一会。Please wait a moment.Tatoeba #8795146 by crescat, translation #430067 by witbrock
- 请稍等。Please wait.Tatoeba #353599 by ruicong, translation #2111568 by CK
- 请稍等一下，我马上处理您的请求。Please wait a moment, I will handle your request shortly.
- 请等一下，我需要查找相关文件。Please wait for a moment, I need to search for the relevant documents.
- 请稍后，我会尽快为您解决问题。Please wait for a moment, I will solve your problem as soon as possible.
- 别急，等一下就好。Don't worry, please wait a moment.
- 我有点事情要处理，你能等我一下吗？I have something to take care of, can you wait for me a moment?
- 稍等一会儿，我很快就回来。Please wait for a moment, I'll be back soon.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A staff member is helping a customer at a service desk.
- 佳怡 Jiayi请问我的包裹到了吗？Qǐngwèn wǒ de bāoguǒ dào le ma?Excuse me, has my package arrived?
- 俊杰 Junjie请稍等，我帮您查一下。Qǐng shāoděng, wǒ bāng nín chá yīxià.Please wait, I will check it for you.
- 佳怡 Jiayi好的，谢谢你。Hǎo de, xièxiè nǐ.Okay, thank you.
- 俊杰 Junjie找到了，就在这里。Zhǎodào le, jiù zài zhèlǐ.Found it, it's right here.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
