How to say "wait a little" in Chinese

This is a casual expression: 稍 (shāo) means 'a little', 等 (děng) means 'wait', and 一下 (yíxià) is a measure word meaning 'a bit'. So it literally means 'wait a little bit'.

Use this in informal settings like WeChat chats or when talking to friends, to ask them to wait a moment. It's friendly and not too formal. A common mistake is using it in very formal situations—there, you'd say '请稍等' (qǐng shāo děng) instead. Don't use it with superiors or strangers in formal contexts.