待 (dài) · to wait, to treat, to deal with

Meanings

1 to wait
2 to treat
3 to deal with
4 to need
5 going to (do sth)
6 about to

Characters

待

dài

to wait; to treat; to deal with

Examples

HSK 3

他对待工作很认真。

Tā duìdài gōngzuò hěn rènzhēn.

He deals with his work very seriously.

HSK 4

请耐心等待面试结果。

Qǐng nàixīn děngdài miànshì jiéguǒ.

Please wait patiently for the interview result.

HSK 4

我期待你的回来。

Wǒ qīdài nǐ de huílai.

I look forward to your return.

Tips

usage

As dài, 待 runs three senses that share a 'hold a position toward X' core: WAIT (等待, 期待), TREAT (对待, 招待, 接待), and 'pending / still needs' (有待解决, still needs solving).

mistakes

待 has two readings. Use dài (4th tone) for nearly every compound - 等待, 对待, 招待, 接待, 看待, 优待. Switch to dāi (1st tone) only when the meaning is physically 'stay / hang around' - colloquial 待会儿 and 待着, which is a variant of 呆.

Components

radical

彳 chì

step; left-step radical

Left-step radical on the left - the indexing semantic. 彳 depicts a short step, and 待 centers on holding a position along a path: waiting, dealing with, hosting. Joins the locomotion-and-stance family with 行 (walk), 往 (go toward), 役 (service), 德 (virtue).

phonetic

寺 sì

temple; office (here phonetic)

Right component supplies the sound: sì to dài with initial drift but rime preserved. 寺 originally meant a government office (now also temple), itself 土 (earth/place) over 寸 (measure/hand). As a phonetic it powers a tight cluster: 持 (hold), 时 (time), 等 (wait - close synonym!), 特 (special).