静候 (jìng hòu) — to await quietly, to wait for (something) in a calm and patient manner

Definition

A formal, written verb meaning 'to wait calmly and patiently for' something (news, a reply, a decision). It pairs naturally with 等候 and 等待, but is more literary and reserved in tone.

verb
to await quietly, to wait for (something) in a calm and patient manner

Examples

  • 静候。
    Wǒ men jìng hòu nǐ de hǎo xiāo xi.
    We are quietly waiting for your good news.
  • 静候。
    Tā zài bàn gōng shì lǐ jìng hòu xiāo xi.
    He is waiting quietly in the office for news.
  • 静候。
    Qǐng dà jiā jìng hòu tōng zhī.
    Please wait quietly for the notice.

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.

静jìngquiet
候hòuwait

静, 'quiet', and 候, 'wait', form waiting in calm patience.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 靜; 静 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 靜, not the simplified 静, uses 青 and 爭 for sound; an old source also treats 青 (blue) as a meaning part.

Open 静 →

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.

Open 候 →

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