等

děng
HSK 4
#158 most
frequent character
to wait, et cetera, and so on
verb
conjunction

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

等 has 𥫗 bamboo as its meaning part and 寺 chí as a sound part, though the sound link is not clear today. It first meant putting bamboo books in order. From 'neat, orderly' it grew to 'equal', 'grade', and 'to wait for'. The old sense 'serve, entertain' is now written 待.

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Example Sentences

我在等你。
wǒzài děng nǐ 。
I am waiting for you.
我们先吃饭，等一下再去看电影。
wǒmen xiān chīfàn ， děng yīxià zàiqù kàn diànyǐng 。
We will eat first, and then go watch a movie.
你喜欢的水果有苹果、橙子等。
nǐ xǐhuān de shuǐguǒ yǒu píngguǒ 、 chéng zǐ děng 。
The fruits you like include apples, oranges, and so on.

Grammar Points

HSK 4
Non-exhaustive lists with "dengdeng"
HSK 5
Expressing "equal to" with "dengyu"
Expressing "when" with "dengdao"等…就等…再

Words with similar meanings

等待děngdài
to wait
More formal than '等', used in written Chinese or more serious contexts.

Words Starting With 等

等于děng yú
to equal; to be tantamount to
等候děng hòu
waiting
等待děng dài
wait for; await
等级děng jí
degree; rate

Your word lists

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Public Lists with 等

Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.
HSK 4
All words for the HSK 4 test
Common Communication Phrases
Polite expressions, apologies, congratulatory phrases, and casual chat.