<blockquote>
  <p>I think it is more likely what you heard was '稍為' instead of '稍微' because 稍為 is more common due to it's more general usage</p>
</blockquote>

<p>稍為 = slightly</p>

<p>稍微 = slightly (more or less by tiny margin)</p>

<p>If you say 稍為 turn down the volume of the T.V, it can be from 50 down to 40 or from 50 to 49 ; if you say 稍微 turn down the volume of the T.V, it can only mean down by one or two degree (almost negligible degree).</p>

<p>Telling someone to 稍為等一下 could mean a few seconds or half an hour</p>

<p>Telling someone to 稍微等一下  imply the wait is extremely brief, like few seconds or a minute.</p>

<p>稍為等一下 can be reduced to 稍等一下. But if you reduce 稍微等一下 to 稍等一下, you lost the 'extremely brief' meaning.   </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T07:03:57.380Z
2018-03-04T07:19:37.360Z
2018-03-04T07:19:37.360Z
Tang Ho
<p><strong>稍微等一下</strong></p>

<p><a href="https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&amp;wdrst=1&amp;wdqb=%E7%A8%8D%E5%BE%AE" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MDBG</a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>稍微</p>
  
  <p>shāo​wēi​</p>
  
  <p>a little bit</p>
  
  <p>HSK 4</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Here's a more detailed entry from <strong>Tuttle</strong></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>稍微</p>
  
  <p>[comp: 稍 slight + 微 tiny]</p>
  
  <p>ADV</p>
  
  <p>slightly, just a little bit</p>
  
  <p>你能不能把电视机的声音开得稍微大一点? 
  Nǐ néng bu néng bǎ diànshìjī de shēngyin kāi de shāowēi dà yìdiǎn?
  Could you turn the TV up a bit? </p>
  
  <p>我稍微有点儿头疼, 休息一会儿就会好的。 
  Wǒ shāowēi yǒu diǎnr tóuténg, xiūxi yíhuìr jiù huì hǎo de.
  I've a slight headache. I'll be all right after a short rest. </p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p><a href="https://www.moedict.tw/%E7%AD%89%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%8B" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MoE</a>'s entry for 等一下 has the following example sentence:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>如：「吳醫師馬上就會來為您診斷病情，請您稍微等一下。」</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Taiwan's Ministry of Education certainly thinks that 稍微等一下 is a common phrase.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T04:28:09.420Z
perfect, thanks!  I even tried typing "s w deng" and I still couldn't get this to come up
A O
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T04:29:37.873Z
“swdeng” works on my IME - I get this result straight away.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T12:24:02.830Z
i'm using iOS pinyin, and Pleco, and neither return the result :\
A O
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T14:50:18.103Z
@AO I used the Chinese IME on mac OS. I just tried the Chinese IME on iOS and it came up too with "swdeng" giving me 稍微等 and also 稍微等一下.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T19:40:41.623Z
don't know what to tell you, maybe because you actually used the phrase before it comes up?  I know that iOS at least they are smart about recommending phrases you use.  See here
https://imgur.com/a/e9sX1
A O
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T19:41:02.900Z
But also even in Pleco, which IMO is a Top-notch translation app, "swdeng" returns nothing
A O
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T04:25:54.790Z
2018-03-04T07:21:09.850Z
2018-03-04T07:21:09.850Z
Mou某
<p>So I learned most of my Chinese through speaking, and I swear (especially in a service setting), people say something like:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>&quot;Sao Wei Deng Yi Xia&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>等一下 is obvious, but I have not been able to find anything in the dictionary for this term, &quot;Sao Wei&quot;</p>
<p>Have I been hearing people wrong all of these years? Does anybody know the two characters I'm talking about?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T04:24:59.353Z
The word is *shāowēi* or *shāowéi* (稍微) which means **slightly**.
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T05:23:52.750Z
more likely '稍為 '/shao1 wei2/ (slightly) . It is the more common phrase compare to  稍微
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T06:19:50.367Z
Google verbatim search results: “稍微等一下” About 174,000 results vs. "稍为等一下" About 15,400 results & baidu: “稍微等一下” 2,890,000 vs. "稍为等一下" 8,060
Mou某
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T06:36:16.600Z
@TangHo I'm agreeing with @user3306356 here, 漢語大詞典 records more sources using 稍微. Their entry on 稍為 says: `猶稍微。` and only gives one textual source for this way of spelling it (老殘游記). Perhaps Taiwan or Hong Kong teaches the official spelling as 稍為?
dROOOze
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T06:39:24.757Z
稍為 http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/13537/ is common in Hong Kong. 稍微 is relatively rare
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-03-04T07:51:45.623Z
Perhaps 稍為 is Cantonese then.
Mou某
<phrase-request>
Is this an actual phrase, "Sao Wei Deng Yi Xia" (please wait a moment)?
# Is this an actual phrase, "Sao Wei Deng Yi Xia" (please wait a moment)?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-03-04)

So I learned most of my Chinese through speaking, and I swear (especially in a service setting), people say something like:

> "Sao Wei Deng Yi Xia"

等一下 is obvious, but I have not been able to find anything in the dictionary for this term, "Sao Wei"

Have I been hearing people wrong all of these years? Does anybody know the two characters I'm talking about?

**Tags:** phrase-request

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The word is *shāowēi* or *shāowéi* (稍微) which means **slightly**.  
> **username_2**: more likely '稍為 '/shao1 wei2/ (slightly) . It is the more common phrase compare to  稍微  
> **username_3**: Google verbatim search results: “稍微等一下” About 174,000 results vs. "稍为等一下" About 15,400 results & baidu: “稍微等一下” 2,890,000 vs. "稍为等一下" 8,060  
> **username_1**: @TangHo I'm agreeing with @user3306356 here, 漢語大詞典 records more sources using 稍微. Their entry on 稍為 says: `猶稍微。` and only gives one textual source for this way of spelling it (老殘游記). Perhaps Taiwan or Hong Kong teaches the official spelling as 稍為?  
> **username_2**: 稍為 http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/13537/ is common in Hong Kong. 稍微 is relatively rare  
> **username_3**: Perhaps 稍為 is Cantonese then.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2018-03-04. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

**稍微等一下**

[MDBG](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdrst=1&wdqb=%E7%A8%8D%E5%BE%AE)

> 稍微
>
> shāo​wēi​
>
> a little bit
>
> HSK 4

Here's a more detailed entry from **Tuttle**

> 稍微
>
> [comp: 稍 slight + 微 tiny]
>
> ADV
>
> slightly, just a little bit
>
> 你能不能把电视机的声音开得稍微大一点?
> Nǐ néng bu néng bǎ diànshìjī de shēngyin kāi de shāowēi dà yìdiǎn?
> Could you turn the TV up a bit?
>
> 我稍微有点儿头疼, 休息一会儿就会好的。
> Wǒ shāowēi yǒu diǎnr tóuténg, xiūxi yíhuìr jiù huì hǎo de.
> I've a slight headache. I'll be all right after a short rest.

---

[MoE](https://www.moedict.tw/%E7%AD%89%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%8B)'s entry for 等一下 has the following example sentence:

> 如：「吳醫師馬上就會來為您診斷病情，請您稍微等一下。」

Taiwan's Ministry of Education certainly thinks that 稍微等一下 is a common phrase.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: perfect, thanks!  I even tried typing "s w deng" and I still couldn't get this to come up  
> **username_3**: “swdeng” works on my IME - I get this result straight away.  
> **username_0**: i'm using iOS pinyin, and Pleco, and neither return the result :\  
> **username_3**: @AO I used the Chinese IME on mac OS. I just tried the Chinese IME on iOS and it came up too with "swdeng" giving me 稍微等 and also 稍微等一下.  
> **username_0**: don't know what to tell you, maybe because you actually used the phrase before it comes up?  I know that iOS at least they are smart about recommending phrases you use.  See here https://imgur.com/a/e9sX1  
> **username_0**: But also even in Pleco, which IMO is a Top-notch translation app, "swdeng" returns nothing  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-03-04. Score: 1

> I think it is more likely what you heard was '稍為' instead of '稍微' because 稍為 is more common due to it's more general usage

稍為 = slightly

稍微 = slightly (more or less by tiny margin)

If you say 稍為 turn down the volume of the T.V, it can be from 50 down to 40 or from 50 to 49 ; if you say 稍微 turn down the volume of the T.V, it can only mean down by one or two degree (almost negligible degree).

Telling someone to 稍為等一下 could mean a few seconds or half an hour

Telling someone to 稍微等一下 imply the wait is extremely brief, like few seconds or a minute.

稍為等一下 can be reduced to 稍等一下. But if you reduce 稍微等一下 to 稍等一下, you lost the 'extremely brief' meaning.


---

