等候

• 拼音: děng hòu
• 汉字拆解: 等 = 竹 (bamboo) + 寺 (temple); 候 = 亻(person) + 侯 (marquis)

含义

To wait; to await. To stay in one place expecting someone or something.

More formal than 等, often used in service contexts like 等候室 (waiting room) or 等候区 (waiting area). Implies patient, respectful waiting rather than casual waiting.

例句

1. 旅客们在候机大厅等候登机通知。
2. 请在等候区稍坐，医生马上就来。
3. 他在雨中等候了两个小时，终于等到了她。

用法指南

语境: service, formal, travel

语气: polite

正确说法

• 请稍等候。(Please wait a moment.)
• 感谢您的耐心等候。(Thank you for your patient waiting.)

错误说法

• '等候'较正式——朋友间说'等我一下'比'等候我一下'更自然 (等候 is formal — among friends, 等我一下 is more natural than 等候我一下)

起源与历史

Compound of 等 (to wait) + 候 (to wait, time), both characters meaning to wait, creating an emphatic compound.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal