等
to wait; et cetera; rank/class
děng
What does 等 mean?
等 (děng) is a high-frequency word with three connected meanings. First and most common, it's the verb 'to wait' — 等一下 'wait a moment,' 等他 'wait for him.' Second, it works as a list closer meaning 'et cetera / and so on' — '苹果、香蕉、橙子等水果' 'fruits like apples, bananas, oranges, etc.' Third, it acts as a noun/suffix meaning 'rank, class, or grade' — 头等 (top class), 一等奖 (first prize). For English speakers, two surprises: first, 等 used as a verb does NOT need a preposition like 'for' — say '我等你' not '我等为你.'
Second, when 等 closes a list it can stand alone or repeat as 等等 ('etc., etc.'); the doubled form sounds more conversational while the single 等 fits formal writing. Tone-wise, 等 is third tone (děng) — distinct from 灯
Character breakdown
wait; class/rank; et cetera; the 竹 'bamboo' top historically referred to bamboo slips used for sorting and ranking
Memory hook: Bamboo slips on top, temple (寺) below — sort and wait in order, like waiting in line at a temple.
Example sentences
请等一下，我马上来。
Qǐng děng yíxià, wǒ mǎshàng lái.
Please wait a moment, I'm coming right away.
spoken, polite
我在门口等你。
Wǒ zài ménkǒu děng nǐ.
I'll wait for you at the door.
spoken
他等了一个小时。
Tā děng le yí gè xiǎoshí.
He waited for an hour.
neutral
我喜欢苹果、香蕉、橙子等水果。
Wǒ xǐhuan píngguǒ, xiāngjiāo, chéngzi děng shuǐguǒ.
I like fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges, and so on.
neutral
等等，你说什么？
Děngděng, nǐ shuō shénme?
Hold on — what did you say?
spoken
Common phrases with 等
Hear it in real Fluentide episodes
等 appears in 2 podcast episodes at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
稍等 = 'wait briefly,' more polite/formal, common in service contexts (please hold, one moment please). 等一下 is the everyday spoken version.
等候 is formal/written ('please wait for your number to be called'). 等 alone is the spoken default. Signs and announcements use 等候; people in conversation use 等.
等待 is also more formal and often used for waiting for an outcome, opportunity, or result ('await'). 等 is for everyday waiting on people and things.
Don't confuse 等 with
灯 (first tone) means 'lamp/light.' 等 (third tone) means 'to wait.' Same initial sound but different tone and different character. 开灯 turn on the light; 等一下 wait a moment.
登 (first tone) means 'to ascend, climb, board' (登机 board a plane). Different tone from 等 (děng) and different meaning.
Doubled 等等