To make bamboo slips even and classify them by rank. To wait; equal in rank, grade, class, or “etc.” Bamboo (⺮) slips laid out at a temple (寺) in equal, sorted rows.
Without 在, the sentence sounds incomplete as a present-progressive question. Chinese marks ongoing action with 在 before the verb.
Without sentence-final 了, this reads as a future plan ('I'll wait ten minutes for you'), not a duration already completed.
等 is the everyday 'wait'; 待 is formal or dialectal and often means 'stay' or 'treat'.
等 (děng) is the neutral, everyday verb for waiting and is what you should use at HSK 2. 待 has two readings: dāi, which can mean 'stay' or, in some regions, 'wait'; and dài, which usually means 'treat' or 'receive'. Learners who reach for 待 to mean 'wait' often sound bookish or regional. Stick with 等 for 'wait' until you meet 待 in higher-level reading.
| Dimension | Natural (等) | Avoid (待) |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | wait (general) | stay; treat; formal/dialectal 'wait' |
| Usage | 你在等人吗？ | 你待人很好。 (You treat people well.) |
| HSK level | HSK 2 | HSK 4+ (as 待 dài) |
等 after a list means 'and so on'; it never goes before the list.
When 等 follows one or more listed items, it signals that more similar items exist but are not named: 苹果、香蕉等水果 = 'fruits such as apples, bananas, etc.' This is a different use from the verb 等 (wait). The position is fixed: after the items, before the category noun if there is one.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Position | After listed items | Before listed items |
| Example | 我喜欢苹果、香蕉等水果。 | 我等苹果、香蕉水果。 |
| Meaning | etc., and so on | wait for (wrong meaning here) |
In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.
问一下儿，你在 等人 吗？
我在 等 朋友看电影。
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