稍候 (shāo hòu) — wait a moment | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A polite, formal phrase meaning 'please wait a moment,' typically used on the phone or in service settings. The complement 一下 softens the request: 稍候一下.

verb

wait a moment

Easily confused

稍后shāo hòusound-alikein a little while; later; in a moment

Examples

稍候。
Qǐng shāo hòu.
Please wait a moment.
稍候，。
Nín shāo hòu, wǒ mǎ shàng lái.
Wait a moment, I'll be right there.
稍候，。
shāo hòu Yí xià, wǒ xū yào chá yí xià.
Wait a moment, I need to check something.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

稍shāoa little

“稍” means a little, and “候” means wait; together they mean wait briefly.

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.

禾肖稍

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

肖

肖xiào稍shāo

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

稍 combines 禾 and 肖: 禾 is the part tied to the character's meaning, and 肖 is the part tied to its sound.

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

亻Written in full as人rén

Sound part声符shēngfú

矦

矦hóu候hòu

Same sound today

候 combines 亻, relating to people, with 矦, which gives the sound.

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