待 (dài) is a Chinese character meaning “to wait for”. It is written from 彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 寺 (temple; (as a sound part) sì), side by side, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “to wait”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
彳 + 寺
Left–right structure
- 彳 a short step; the “double-person” left side · chì meaning
- 寺 temple; (as a sound part) sì · sì sound
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（⿰彳寺），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「彳」3 画 + 右「寺」6 画 = 9 画；「彳」是表示行走、动作的偏旁，「寺」在 持 chí / 时 shí / 特 tè 等字中同作表音成分，此处按声符处理，但今读与 寺 sì 已明显分化。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。
Memory aid
You pace with small steps (彳) outside the temple (寺), going nowhere — that is 待, waiting.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 等待děng dàito wait; to await待 = dài
- 虐待nüè dàito mistreat; to abuse待 = dài
- 守株待兔shǒu zhū dài tùto wait by a tree stump for a hare to run into it; to wait for luck instead of working待 = dài
- 待价而沽dài jià ér gūto wait for the right price before selling待 = dài
Go deeper
All readings
to wait; to treat
to wait for; to await; also: to treat or deal with someone in a certain way
等候；也指用某种态度或方式对人。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 等待děng dàito wait; to await待 = dài
- 虐待nüè dàito mistreat; to abuse待 = dài
- 守株待兔shǒu zhū dài tùto wait by a tree stump for a hare to run into it; to wait for luck instead of working待 = dài
- 待价而沽dài jià ér gūto wait for the right price before selling待 = dài
Rare readings, not taught: dāi
Sound component
寺 family diverged
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 待 mean?
待 (dài) means to wait for; to await; also: to treat or deal with someone in a certain way.
How do you pronounce 待?
It is pronounced dài.
What parts is 待 made of?
彳 (a short step; the “double-person” left side) and 寺 (temple; (as a sound part) sì), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（⿰彳寺），已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：左「彳」3 画 + 右「寺」6 画 = 9 画；「彳」是表示行走、动作的偏旁，「寺」在 持 chí / 时 shí / 特 tè 等字中同作表音成分，此处按声符处理，但今读与 寺 sì 已明显分化。只描述今形构成，不追溯上古来源。. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 待 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 待?
彳. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 待?
Common ones are 等待 and 虐待. The reading of 待 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.