Chinese word

一下儿

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī xiàr

Meaning

  • particlea moment

Example

你等我一下儿。nǐ děng wǒ yí xiàr

Wait for me a moment.

Illustration for 一下儿 (a moment)

More examples

等一下儿，我马上来。děng yí xiàr wǒ mǎ shàng lái

Wait a moment; I'll be right there.

Core concept

One short, light step in an action, often making a request sound less demanding.

Common phrases

  • 等一下儿děng yí xiàr

    wait a moment

  • 看一下儿kàn yí xiàr

    take a look

Similar words

一下yí xià: Placed after a verb to show a quick action or try, often making a small request more polite.

Definition in Chinese

放在动词后，用来表示尝试一下、请对方做一件小事或动作短暂，常用于口语以示礼貌或软化语气。fàng zài dòng cí hòu yòng lái biǎo shì cháng shì yí xià qǐng duì fāng zuò yí jiàn xiǎo shì huò dòng zuò duǎn zàn cháng yòng yú kóu yǔ yǐ shì lǐ mào huò ruǎn huà yǔ qì

Word origin

The form 一下儿 (yīxiàér, "a moment") joins 一 (yī, "one") + 下 (xià, "occurrence") to count one brief occurrence of a verb; 儿 (ér, "spoken -r ending") gives it a northern colloquial sound.

Usage tips

  • A Chinese request can sound polite without an English-style "please": placing 一下儿 (yīxiàér, "a moment") after the verb presents the action as brief and light.

Other meanings

  • a littleadverb

Word lists with this word