How to Say ‘Please wait a moment’ in Simplified Chinese
您稍等
nín shāo děng
[neen shāo dung]
💬 Usage Tip: 稍 (shāo) means "slightly", so 稍等 literally means "wait a little".
🇨🇳 In China: Staff at restaurants and hotels say this to customers all the time, and the polite 您 (nín) "you" makes it sound properly courteous. Among friends, people just say 等一下 "hang on".
Phrase Breakdown
您
nín
[neen]
you (polite)
A respectful form of “you,” used when speaking politely to someone, such as a recruiter or company representative.
很高兴认识您，希望向您多学习。
It’s a pleasure to meet you; I hope to learn more from you.
稍
shāo
[shāo]
slightly; a little
Adverb meaning a small amount or briefly; common in polite phrases like 稍等.
请稍等一会儿。
Please wait a moment.
等
děng
[dung]
to wait
Describes the act of staying prepared or in expectation for something to happen.
我在等班车。
I am waiting for the bus.
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