等

děng

HSK 2, 4

等 — děng

1. to wait for; to await

   我在学校门口等你下课。 wǒ zài xuéxiào ménkǒu děng nǐ xiàkè — I'll wait for you at the school gate after class.

2. by the time; when; till (introduces a time clause)

   等你回来，我们再开始。 děng nǐ huílái wǒmen zài kāishǐ — Once you're back, we'll get started.

3. and so on; etc.; et al. (used after a list)

   水果有苹果、香蕉、梨等。 shuǐguǒ yǒu píngguǒ xiāngjiāo lí děng — Fruits include apples, bananas, pears, etc.

4. (bound form) class; rank; grade (as a bound morpheme)

   他是三等兵。 tā shì sānděngbīng — He is a third-class soldier.

5. equal to; same as (bound form)

   他的话等于承诺。 tā dehuà děngyú chéngnuò — His words are equivalent to a promise.

6. (literary) plural suffix attached to a personal pronoun or noun

   尔等且退下，容我细想。 ěr děng qiě tuìxià róng wǒ xìxiǎng — You all withdraw for now; let me think it over carefully. (literary)