Chinese word

候位

Pronunciation

Pinyinhòu wèi

Meaning

  • verbwait for a table

Example

我在候位，他们还没叫号。wǒ zài hòu wèi tā men hái méi jiào hào

I'm waiting for a table, but they haven't called the number yet.

Illustration for 候位 (wait for a table)

More examples

我们已经登记候位了，等短信通知就可以入座。wǒ men yǐ jīng dēng jì hòu wèi le děng duǎn xìn tōng zhī jiù ké yǐ rù zuò

We have already registered to wait for a table, so we can take a seat once we receive the text notification.

Core concept

A person waits at the edge of a queue until an empty seat or service place opens.

Common phrases

  • 在候位zài hòu wèi

    wait for a table

  • 登记候位dēng jì hòu wèi

    register to wait for a table

  • 排队候位pái duì hòu wèi

    line up to wait for a table

Similar words

等候děng hòu: Waiting nearby for a turn, especially until someone calls or serves the person.
排队pái duì: Standing in a line so that each person receives a turn in order.
等待děng dài: Waiting for someone to come or for something planned to happen.

Definition in Chinese

为等到空出的座位或名额而在一旁排队或等待。wèi děng dào kòng chū de zuò wèi huò míng é ér zài yì páng pái duì huò děng dài

Word origin

候位 (hòuwèi, "wait for a place") is formed from 候 (hòu, "wait") + 位 (wèi, "place or position"), so it points to waiting for a place to open.

Usage tips

  • In a restaurant, a person can remain in 候位 (hòuwèi, "waiting for a place") while staff use a name, number, or queue to manage the order.

Other meanings

  • wait in linenoun
  • stand bynoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word