待

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 待 (dài) is composed of two parts: the radical 彳 (chì), which represents walking or stepping, and the phonetic component 歹 (dǎi). The radical 彳 indicates that the character is related to movement or action, while the phonetic component 歹 provides a clue to its pronunciation.The original meaning of 待 was "to wait" or "to attend." This meaning is still preserved in modern Chinese, where 待 can be used as a verb meaning "to wait for" or "to attend to." For example, the sentence 他在车站等我 (tā zài chēzhàn děng wǒ) means "He is waiting for me at the train station."In addition to its original meaning, 待 can also be used as a noun meaning "treatment" or "reception." For example, the sentence 他受到了热烈的欢迎 (tā shòudào le rèliè de huānyíng) means "He received a warm welcome."The character 待 can also be used as an adjective meaning "pending" or "unresolved." For example, the sentence 这个问题还有待解决 (zhè ge wèntí hái yǒu dài jiějué) means "This problem is still pending resolution."Overall, the character 待 is a versatile character with a rich history and a variety of meanings. It is an important character for HSK learners to master, as it is used frequently in both written and spoken Chinese.