Chinese Conversation · Level 3
86 words
Chinese word
等会儿
Pronunciation
Pinyinděng huìr
Meaning
- adverblater
Example
我等会儿给你发短信。wǒ děng huìr gěi nǐ fā duǎn xìn
I'll text you later.
More examples
我现在出门，等会儿回来再联系你。wǒ xiàn zài chū mén děng huìr huí lái zài lián xì nǐ
I'm heading out now; I'll contact you again when I get back later.
Core concept
A near-future action is held back briefly rather than canceled or moved to an unknown time.
Common phrases
等会儿回来děng huìr huí lái
come back later
等会儿见děng huìr jiàn
see you later
Similar words
等一下děng yí xià: Used in casual speech to ask someone to wait briefly.
稍等一下shāo děng yí xià: Used to politely ask someone to wait a little.
一会儿yí huìr: Refers to a short period of time in the near future.
Definition in Chinese
用于口语，表示稍后不久就进行某事，常用于请人稍等或说明延后发生。yòng yú kóu yǔ biǎo shì shāo hòu bù jiǔ jiù jìn xíng mǒu shì cháng yòng yú qǐng rén shāo děng huò shuō míng yán hòu fā shēng
Word origin
等会儿 (děnghuìer, "in a while") is formed from 等 (děng, "wait") and 会儿 (huìr, "a while"), linking waiting with a small stretch of time.
Usage tips
- In conversation, this word can gently postpone an action without sounding like a firm refusal, a nuance that a simple English later does not always convey.