Asking people to wait.

[Cristy26]

Sometimes people can be very demanding and overwhelming at my job even tugging and pulling on me. Especially when they realize I know a few words in Mandarin. Would this be a simple phrase that doesn't come across too rude? I'm still at the point I can remember short phrases. Not complex sentences. Thanks.

Phrase: 请稍候

[陳德聰]

(请)稍等(一下)

[skylee]

Consider - 請（稍）等一下 or 請等一等.

 

请稍候 is perfectly fine as a sign.  But we rarely use 候 like this in a conversation.

[lingo-ling]

In my understanding, 请稍候 carries more of the business-environment sound that "One moment, please" does in English. When I hear it spoken, it's usually by office workers talking on the phone.

[roddy]

What do you do? If anyone was pulling me I'd be telling them to do more than wait. 

[Ruben von Zwack]

When you say 等一下兒 děng yī xiàr or 稍等 shāo děng, it's already polite, so you can safely omit the "请" without being rude, right?

 

Btw, is 等一等 děng yī děng, using this sort of construction, feminine or "cute"?

[Lu]

 

When you say 等一下兒 děng yī xiàr or 稍等 shāo děng, it's already polite, so you can safely omit the "请" without being rude, right?

I don't think 一下 has erhua... It's more polite with 請, of course, but just 等一下 is in itself not impolite.

[skylee]

I disagree with #6. Different places require different levels of politeness. If you are not in Mainland China, I suggest you do NOT omit 請.

Ha! Most replies get a green arrow. This is a very clear indication.

[Ruben von Zwack]

From the OP's brief description I assumed she must surely be in mainland 

 

My Hanzi type programme is acting up today and only would give me 兒 not the simplified. I'm aware use of language is generally more polite in HK and Taiwan.

[Lu]

I don't mean it's the wrong character, I mean that IMO you shouldn't have 兒 there at all. 等一會兒, yes, but not *等一下兒.

[Ruben von Zwack]

You mean, no erhua only in connection with děng, or no erhua in general with yī xià?

Cause my book (Huìhuà 301, German edition) does have the erhua there, and I think my teacher in Beijing recently wrote "yī xiàr" down. But books can have typos, and I could have made a mistake and just imagined the "er" when copying her sentences from the whiteboard.

[muyongshi]

The er hua in conjunction with 一下 is totally acceptable and correct. However, I personally have never heard it spoken (in real life).

 

That being said, I typically would use 请稍等 in the OP situation. Combination of polite and to the point. If people are truly getting physical with you, other phrases like 你先坐一下 could be helpful in politely directing them away from you for the time. Especially if you say it forcefully (yet politely).

[skylee]

_{From the OP's brief description I assumed she must surely be in mainland} 

 

 

Based on her posts, I think the OP works on planes.

[Demonic_Duck]

The er hua in conjunction with 一下 is totally acceptable and correct. However, I personally have never heard it spoken (in real life).

I hear it a lot in Beijing, I'd say about 50:50 with/without the 儿化音.

 

稍等 is fine, 请稍等一下儿 is just a little more polite. I've never heard 稍候 myself, although that's not to say it's not used.

[Ruben von Zwack]

And what about 等一等? My question was real.
 

Maybe it's just chance but I have only heard women say this, or use this construction in general (a certain Teresa Teng song comes to mind). Hence I was wondering if there might be something female about this pattern.

[muyongshi]

@Ruben von Zwack

 

It's acceptable and works, however it is not near as polite as the other options given. In many instances it wouldn't even carry the force of 请稍等. In fact, I usually think of 等一等 being used in circumstances where a person is asking someone to "hold up" (wait a sec, I have something to give you) rather that OP's circumstance of "hold on" (you're being impatient, so just wait).

[muyongshi]

@Demonic Duck

 

That was my guess, that it would be fairly common in the North but here in the Sichuan, I'm pretty sure no one uses it...

[Ruben von Zwack]

Thanks for clearing that up for me!  

[Cristy26]

Hi. Sorry it took so long to reply. I'm the OP. I am a flight attendant on a United States Air Carrier. I work domestic flights. So I get a lot of Chinese who speak little English often connecting out of LA or San Fran on their way to/from china. Often they are in big groups. Often when I'm taking drink orders they begin to pull on me, ask for drinks out of order. It can be very overwhelming. I am looking for polite way to say One Moment or Please Wait but also show in control of the situation. I am here to help but can only help one at a time.

[gato]

Oh, so you are talking about customers, not your colleagues.

I would say ”请稍等一会儿，马上就来" (Please wait a moment. I will be right with you.).

If you use more assertive language, you risk a confrontation, which is not going to make your job any easier.