一会儿
a little while; in a moment
yíhuìr
What does 一会儿 mean?
一会儿 (yíhuìr) is a flexible time word meaning 'a short while' — it covers both a brief duration ('for a little while') and a near-future moment ('in a moment, shortly'). Two main uses. First, as a future time marker AT the start of a clause: 一会儿见 ('see you in a bit'), 我一会儿来 ('I'll be there in a moment'). Second, after a verb to mark a brief duration: 等一会儿 ('wait a moment'), 休息一会儿 ('rest for a bit'). The doubled structure 一会儿...
一会儿... means 'one moment X, the next moment Y' — describes alternating states: 一会儿哭一会儿笑 ('crying one moment, laughing the next'). The 儿 is a Beijing-flavored suffix and gets the syllable rolled into yíhuìr — in writing or southern speech, 一会 (without 儿) is fine. Tone change: 一 becomes second-tone (yí) before the fourth-tone 会
Character breakdown
one
moment; meeting; can; will
diminutive suffix (Beijing -r sound)
Memory hook: 一 ('one') + 会 ('moment / meeting') = one brief moment. The 儿 just adds a casual Beijing flavor.
Example sentences
请等一会儿，我马上来。
Qǐng děng yíhuìr, wǒ mǎshàng lái.
Please wait a moment, I'll be right there.
spoken
一会儿见！
Yíhuìr jiàn!
See you in a bit!
spoken
我们休息一会儿吧。
Wǒmen xiūxi yíhuìr ba.
Let's rest for a little while.
spoken
他一会儿哭，一会儿笑。
Tā yíhuìr kū, yíhuìr xiào.
One moment he cries, the next he laughs.
neutral
过一会儿我给你打电话。
Guò yíhuìr wǒ gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.
I'll call you in a little while.
spoken
Common phrases with 一会儿
Synonyms
一下 means 'briefly / for a sec' and softens a verb (看一下 'take a look'). 一会儿 specifies a short DURATION or near-future moment (等一会儿 'wait a while'). 一下 is about brevity of action; 一会儿 is about a slice of time.
马上 means 'immediately / right away.' 一会儿 means 'in a little while' — slightly later, not instant. 马上来 = 'coming right now'; 一会儿来 = 'I'll come in a bit.'
一下子
Don't confuse 一会儿 with
一边 marks simultaneous actions or means 'one side.' 一会儿 is a span of time. Don't confuse — they share 一 but do completely different work.
会 alone is the modal 'can / will / know how to' or the noun 'meeting.' Inside 一会儿, 会 just contributes the 'moment' meaning. Different word in isolation.
一下 (V + 一下) softens an action
FAQ
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