等 (děng) — to wait for; et cetera; and so on; (preposition) after; as soon as; once

Definition

At HSK 2, 等 is the basic everyday verb 'to wait for' and the common 'etc.' in lists. As a preposition in '等他来了…' it just means 'once/when'.

verb
to wait foret ceteraand so on
preposition
afteras soon asonce

Examples

  • 等。
    Wǒ zài xué xiào mén kǒu děng nǐ.
    I'm waiting for you at the school gate.
  • 、等。
    Wǒ xǐ huan chī píng guǒ, xiāng jiāo děng shuǐ guǒ.
    I like eating apples, bananas, and other fruits.
  • 等，。
    děng Tā lái le, wǒ men jiù zǒu.
    After he comes, we'll leave.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì等děng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 竹 shows bamboo strips used for writing and sorting; the bottom 寺 once gave the sound, but now sounds different.

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 2500 Most Frequent Chinese WordsHSK 2.0 Level 41000 Most Frequent Chinese Words2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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