How to say “Please wait a moment” in Chinese

Word by word

What each part of 请等一下。 actually means.

• 请qǐngplease
• 等děngto wait
• 一下yíxiàa moment

When you use it

一下 softens a request the way "just" does in English — 等 alone sounds abrupt, 等一下 is what you'll hear all day in China.

Use 请等一下。 in everyday situations. Greetings, thanks and the small words you use all day.

Common questions

How do you say "Please wait a moment" in Chinese?

"Please wait a moment" in Chinese is 请等一下。 — written in pinyin as Qǐng děng yíxià.. It is a everyday phrase you would use in China.

What does 请等一下。 mean in Chinese?

请等一下。 (Qǐng děng yíxià.) means "Please wait a moment". Broken down word by word: 请 (qǐng) means "please"; 等 (děng) means "to wait"; 一下 (yíxià) means "a moment".

When would you use "Please wait a moment" in Chinese?

一下 softens a request the way "just" does in English — 等 alone sounds abrupt, 等一下 is what you'll hear all day in China. You would say 请等一下。 (Qǐng děng yíxià.) in everyday conversation.

More Everyday phrases

• 不用了，谢谢。No thanks.
• 认识你很高兴。Nice to meet you.
• 我是游客。I'm a tourist.
• 太棒了！That's great!