守候

• ピンイン: shǒu hòu
• 漢字の分解: 守 = 宀 + 寸 (roof + inch/hand — to keep watch over a sheltered place); 候 = 亻 + 侯 (person + nobleman — to stand by and wait upon)

意味

（その場にとどまり）見守りながら待つ、付き添って待つ

Implies a prolonged, attentive, and often emotionally invested waiting — not passive idleness but active, committed watchfulness. Used for waiting by a sickbed (在病床旁守候), staking out a location (守候多时), or metaphorically for faithful, devoted waiting (守候归来). The word carries a strong sense of loyalty, dedication, or intense anticipation. Contrast: 等待 (to wait — neutral, broader); 等候 (to await — more polite/formal but less emotionally charged than 守候).

例文

1. 侦察组在废弃仓库里守候了七十二小时，终于摸清车辆进出的规律，锁定嫌疑人活动时间。
2. 她在ICU外守候了三天三夜，直到医生告知手术成功，她才松了口气，泪水直流。
3. 八旬老人每天清晨都在院门口守候儿子归来，明知他二十年前离家后多半不会再回，却始终不肯放弃。

使い方ガイド

場面: journalism, medicine, narrative, loyalty, investigation

トーン: devoted

正しい言い方

• 重大突发事件后，记者常在现场或机构外长时间守候，等待知情人或发言人出现，以获取第一手信息。(After a major breaking event, journalists often wait for long periods at the scene or outside institutions, waiting for informed insiders or spokespersons to appear so they can get first-hand information.)
• 在传统叙事里，守候常象征忠诚、牺牲和深情，比如妻子等夫归来、子女守在病床前。(In traditional narratives, waiting often symbolizes loyalty, sacrifice, and deep affection, such as a wife waiting for her husband to return or children keeping vigil by a sickbed.)

避ける言い方

• 守候 for neutral, time-constrained waiting without emotional or dedicated vigilance — use 等候 (to await — polite, neutral) or 等待 (to wait — broader and more everyday); 守候 specifically implies prolonged, committed, often emotionally invested watchfulness and sounds disproportionately intense for routine waiting such as queuing or waiting for a bus

起源と歴史

守 (to guard, to keep — 宀 roof + 寸 inch/hand, suggesting keeping watch over a place) + 候 (to await, to watch for — 亻 person + 侯 nobleman, originally meaning to wait upon or stand by)

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal