TongTong
Sign in

待会儿 (dāi huì r) — later, in a moment

Definition

"Later / in a moment" — an informal adverb meaning shortly, not a specific time. Pairs with 再 or 才 to mean "then/not until later."

adverb
laterin a moment

Examples

  • ，待会儿。
    Nǐ děng yí xià, dāi huì r wǒ zài gào sù nǐ.
    Wait a moment; I'll tell you later.
  • 待会儿。
    dāi huì r Wǒ men yì qǐ qù chī fàn ba.
    Let's go eat together later.
  • 待会儿，。
    Tā dāi huì r cái huì dào, wǒ men xiān zuò yí xià.
    He'll only arrive later; let's sit down for a while.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

待dàiwait
会儿a while
会huìa while儿ércasual
后缀Suffix

待, to wait, and 会儿, a short while, form 'in a moment'.

Characters in this word

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
彳彳chì
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì待dài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

待 is built from 彳 on the left and 寺 on the right; 彳 is tied to the meaning, and 寺 gives the sound.

Open 待 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 會; 会 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
合合héto meet
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡆧
𡆧𡆧會huì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

Traditional 會 pairs 合 (to meet) with 𡆧, an original form for ironware, to give the sound. The simplified 会 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the original parts.

Open 会 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →
Appears in
Time (Abstract)5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.