Chinese word

稍后

Pronunciation

Pinyinshāo hòu

Meaning

  • adverblater

Example

我稍后给你打电话。wǒ shāo hòu gěi nǐ dǎ diàn huà

I'll call you later.

Illustration for 稍后 (later)

More examples

请稍后查看邮件附件。qǐng shāo hòu chá kàn yóu jiàn fù jiàn

Please check the email attachment later.

Core concept

A brief step beyond now that postpones an action without putting it far off.

Common phrases

  • 稍后回复shāo hòu huí fù

    reply later

  • 稍后联系shāo hòu lián xì

    contact later

  • 稍后通知shāo hòu tōng zhī

    notify later

Similar words

一会儿yí huìr: A short while later, pointing to something that will happen soon.
马上mǎ shàng: At once, without waiting or with almost no delay.
不久bù jiǔ: Not long afterward, though not necessarily immediately.
稍候shāo hòu: After a moment of waiting, with an action to follow shortly.

Definition in Chinese

表示在当前时间之后但不是很久就要发生的动作或回应，常用于推迟回答或安排。biǎo shì zài dāng qián shí jiān zhī hòu dàn bú shì hěn jiǔ jiù yào fā shēng de dòng zuò huò huí yìng cháng yòng yú tuī chí huí dá huò ān pái

Word origin

稍后 (shāohòu, "later") is formed from 稍 (shāo, "a little") and 后 (hòu, "after"), so its structure points to a short wait before something happens.

Usage tips

  • The word is useful when an immediate answer is not possible, but it does not by itself promise an exact deadline.

Other meanings

  • soonadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word